lockup

noun

lock·​up ˈläk-ˌəp How to pronounce lockup (audio)
1
: jail
especially : a local jail where persons are detained prior to court hearing
2
: an act of locking : the state of being locked

Examples of lockup in a Sentence

the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups
Recent Examples on the Web After spending the last 10 weeks in lockup, Kapri will walk away free and clear of his federal case, Cohen confirmed. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024 Washington, 59, was in federal lockup for a series of gunpoint robberies around New York City about 17 years prior. Vulture, 29 Jan. 2024 Atkins’ jail reform bill would no longer let county supervisors wrest control of local lockups from sheriffs July 8, 2023 The two bills are the only legislative remedies that have been proposed in Sacramento in the wake of continuing deaths inside San Diego County jails. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023 Ohio should eventually close its three youth prisons and replace them with a dozen small, close-to-home juvenile lockups, Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday. Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 Aside from noting the appearance of the Regulators’ imagery outside the women’s jail, the oversight report released this week also highlighted two other major concerns about conditions in the county lockups based on inspections conducted during the last three months of 2023. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 The transformation from school to jail was completed by 1988, making this the fourth county lockup. Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2024 As sometimes happens with bad lockups, the victorious buck was dragging the shredded remains of a dead buck around. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 14 Feb. 2024 In return, the cats provide something invaluable in a lockup notorious for overcrowding and squalid conditions: love, affection and acceptance. Jack Nicas, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lockup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lockup was in 1746

Dictionary Entries Near lockup

Cite this Entry

“Lockup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockup. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lockup

noun
lock·​up -ˌəp How to pronounce lockup (audio)

Legal Definition

lockup

noun
lock·​up
1
: a cell or group of cells (as in a courthouse) or jail where persons are held prior to a court hearing compare house of correction, house of detention, jail, penitentiary, prison
2
: the tactic of arranging with a friendly party an option to buy a valuable portion of one's corporate assets in order to discourage a takeover by another party

More from Merriam-Webster on lockup

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