lock up
/ˌlɒk ˈʌp/
"lock-up" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lock up” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To imprison or incarcerate (someone).
Corpus desk
Index EN-lock-up · lock up · English
lock up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "L" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lock up |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌlɒk ˈʌp/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “lock up” in English
Rare enough to double-check
lock up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌlɒk ˈʌp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 15 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for lock up in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: lock + up The correct English form is lock up, spelled L-O-C-K- -U-P.
Definition
- 1To imprison or incarcerate (someone).
- 2To put (something) away in a locked location for safekeeping; (occasionally, chiefly humorously) to sequester (a person) in a similar way.
- 3To close (and often lock) all doors and windows (of a place) securely.
- 4To lock (a door, window, etc.).
- 5To cease responding.
- 6To cause (a program) to cease responding or to freeze.
- 7To stop moving; to seize.
- 8To stop moving; to seize.
- 9To lose one's forward momentum; to freeze.
- 10To (mistakenly) cause or have one of one's wheels to lock up (stop spinning).
- 11To invest in something long term.
- 12To travel through a flight of locks on a waterway in an uphill direction.
- 13To fasten quoins securely with a mallet and a shooting-stick.
- 14To assure success in or control of (something).
- 15To enter a state of mechanical alignment.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how lock up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
In 1970, a new era of "getting tough" on young offenders really began to gather momentum with the incoming Conservative government. The number of juveniles locked up each year increased by 500% between 1965 and 1980.
Please lock up all valuables in the safe before leaving.
Etymology
lock + up
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.