lock
(noun, verb)
past tense: locked
LISTEN
A lock.
A lock is something that keeps a door or window closed, so that people can’t open it. Sometimes we use a key to open a lock.
- The lock on my back door is broken.
If you lock something, it means that you close it with a lock.
- Did you remember to lock the car?
If you lock something in a place, it means that you put it there and lock the doors. Sometimes you do this because you don’t want someone to take something, or because you don’t want something to get out.
- She locked the money in a box.
Common uses
When someone loses the key to their house or car, and they can’t get inside, we say that they are locked out. For example, “I was locked out my house yesterday.”
In pop culture
If something is locked and we can’t get inside, we say that we are locked out. But what do you say when something is locked and you can’t get out? In this video from the TV series Family Guy, a man is locked in his car. How does he try to get out?
There are other meanings of lock.
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