Idiomer
Browse Learn 🎓 Lessons 🎯 Quiz ⚡ Practice 📋 Lists ✍️ Blog ☆ Saved About

English · Word Candidate

lockdown

/ˈlɒkˌdaʊn/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: lockdowns

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The confinement of people in their own rooms (e.g., in a school) or cells (in a prison), or to their own homes or areas (e.g., in the case of a city- or nation-wide issue) as a security measure after or amid a disturbance or as a non-pharmaceutical intervention in a pandemic.

Noun

Examples

At the time of writing, no decisions had been made by the Government as to when or how lockdown restrictions might begin to be lifted. However, discussions were taking place in the industry about how social distancing could be maintained on the railway if some patronage were to return soon.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A contrivance to fasten logs together in rafting.

NounRegister: US

Examples

The rafts were made up of strings of logs about seventeen feet wide, held together by poles across them. Each log was pinned to the poles by wooden pegs and lockdowns.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “lockdown” mean?

The confinement of people in their own rooms (e.g., in a school) or cells (in a prison), or to their own homes or areas (e.g., in the case of a city- or nation-wide issue) as a security measure after or amid a disturbance or as a non-pharmaceutical intervention in a pandemic.

Is “lockdown” formal or informal?

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