A device operated by a key, combination, or keycard and used, as on a door, for holding, closing, or securing.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
A length or curl of hair; a tress.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
A mechanism in a firearm for exploding the charge.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
A section of a waterway, such as a canal, closed off with gates, in which vessels in transit are raised or lowered by raising or lowering the water level of that section.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
A secure hold; control: The distributor has a lock on most of the market.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
verb-transitive
Computer Science To end the processing of (a magnetic tape or disk) in such a way as to deny access to its contents.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Computer Science To protect (a file) from changes or deletion.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Printing To fasten (a curved plate) to the cylinder of a rotary press.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Printing To secure (letterpress type) in a chase or press bed by tightening the quoins.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
To aim (a weapon or other device) at a moving target so as to follow it automatically: "The pilot had locked his targeting radar on the slow-moving frigateā ( Ed Magnuson).
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
idiom
Lock horns To become embroiled in conflict.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Lock, stock, and barrel To the greatest or most complete extent; wholly: an estate that was auctioned off lock, stock, and barrel.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Under lock and key Securely locked up.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
phrasal-verb
Lock out To withhold work from (employees) during a labor dispute.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
verb-intransitive
To become entangled; interlock.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
To become fastened by or as if by means of a lock: The door locks automatically when shut.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
To become rigid or immobile: The mechanism tends to lock in cold weather.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
To pass through a lock or locks in a waterway.
from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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