the confining of prisoners to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance: The prison lockdown continues, more than three weeks after the death of a guard.
a security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering a building or other location: The school remains under lockdown due to police activity in the area.The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.The army base was on lockdown after a report of shots fired.
a freeze or pause: Banks aren’t lending during this credit lockdown.
Origin of lockdown
First recorded in 1970–75; lock1 + -down, probably extracted from nouns formed from phrasal verbs, such as crackdown, shutdown, etc.
Words nearby lockdown
lock, lockable, lockage, lock bay, lockbox, lockdown, Locke, Lockean, locked bowels, locked in, locked-in syndrome
Many people have found it easier than expected and a real lifeline in lockdown.
Sophie Hill on the changing face of retail and surviving 2020|Margaret Trainor|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
Covid-19-induced lockdowns were expected to take a toll on India’s economy, like anywhere else.
Unless the government acts fast, India faces deep, structural economic problems|Prathamesh Mulye|September 16, 2020|Quartz
Now the PPP funds have run out, and we’re well into month six of a lockdown that doesn’t show signs of ending anytime soon.
How we can save small business from coronavirus-induced extinction|matthewheimer|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Emissions plummeted worldwide when countries went into lockdown in the spring, and cities have since been implementing new measures to keep pollution down and get people to be more active and environmentally conscious.
Uber Wants to Go All-Electric by 2030. It Won’t Be Easy|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|September 10, 2020|Singularity Hub
A nationwide lockdown plunged the economy into its worst recession since World War Two and activity isn’t expected to return to pre-crisis levels until the end of next year at the earliest.
Europe is on high alert after a deadly swine virus emerges in Germany|Bernhard Warner|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Hence, I suspect, the panic, the lockdown, the capitulation.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack|James Poulos|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When it hits your city, be ready to lockdown your house and banish outside family members, they seem to suggest.
Apocalypse Now: Preppers Are Gearing Up for Ebola|Nina Strochlic|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police put the school in lockdown and searched the classrooms and lockers, with no result.
Thank God the Murrysville School Attack Wasn’t Guns|Michael Daly|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Senate and House went on lockdown amid reports of gunfire nearby.
Live Updates: Shooting on Capitol Hill|The Daily Beast|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her own daughter was not at that school but a nearby school, and it went on lockdown.
The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne on the Devastating Oklahoma Tornado|Wayne Coyne|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for lockdown
lockdown
/ (ˈlɒkˌdəʊn) /
noun
USa security measure in which those inside a building such as a prison, school, or hospital are required to remain confined in it for a timemany schools remained under lockdown yesterday
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