a jail, especially a local one for temporary detention.
the act of locking up or the state of being locked up.
a temporary imprisonment or detention, as of suspects or prisoners.
a stock that has been held by an individual as a long-term investment, or that a brokerage firm is required by a regulation to hold for a certain period of time before it can be sold.
any investment or credit instrument, as a renewed loan, in which capital is tied up for a long time.
Printing.
the entire body of type and cuts locked up in a chase preparatory to printing or platemaking.
the act or procedure of locking up type and cuts in a chase.
Automotive. a sudden stopping of the rotation of a wheel.
BritishInformal. a rented locker, storage space, or garage.
Origin of lockup
First recorded in 1760–70; noun use of verb phrase lock up
Words nearby lockup
locksmith, lockstep, lock stitch, lock, stock, and barrel, lock the barn door after the horse has bolted, lockup, lock washer, Lockwood, Lockwood home, Lockyer, loco
Close a house or place of work, fastening all the doors and windows, as in The attendant locks up at eleven o'clock every night, or Did you remind Abby to lock up? [Late 1500s]
2
Invest in something not easily converted into cash, as in Most of their assets were locked up in real estate. [Late 1600s]
3
lock someone up. Confine or imprison someone, as in The princes were locked up in the Tower of London. [c. 1300]