English · Phrasal verb Attested

lock down

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To secure (something).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bảo vệ (một thứ gì đó)

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

But even as the fireball races both skywards and downwards, the mortally-wounded Major Francis Harvey, Royal Marines, crawls over to a voicepipe despite the loss of both legs and orders the magazines locked down and flooded. It's his last act on this Earth; his body will be found later, next to the

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To secure (something). — To blockade and lock (e.g. a building or campus) so as to prevent ingress or egress; to make the occupants (of an area) stay locked indoors for their safety.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

phong tỏa và khóa (ví dụ một tòa nhà hoặc khuôn viên) để ngăn chặn ra vào

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To secure (something). — To limit the use of (a computer network) to only users with permission.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giới hạn sử dụng (mạng máy tính) chỉ cho người dùng có phép

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “lock down” mean?

To secure (something).

Is “lock down” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.