lock out 1 of 2

verb

Definition of lock outnext
as in to walk

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lockout

2 of 2

noun

as in sit-down

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lock out
Verb
By the end of the year, all of Flock's law enforcement customers will also have to turn on a tool that aims to flag abnormal search behavior and lock out people until the searches are reviewed by an administrator. — Anna Schecter, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 That most likely will not take place until long after the owners lock out the players in December, and when spring training and regular season games become increasingly at risk. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Noun
Barring some extremely unforeseen circumstances, the owners will immediately proceed to a lockout. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 And looming over the offseason in general is the possibility of a lockout. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lock out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock out
  1. walk
  2. sit-down
  3. walk out
  4. slowdown
  5. walkout
  6. job action
  7. sick-out
Verb
  • In September, two girls from Skyview High protested by walking off the start line after the gun went off, and last week, about a dozen of his own teammates did the same thing.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The spirit company’s Instagram page shared a video of the moment people realized who their special guest was and began freaking out when Jenner walked in unannounced.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of walk
Noun
  • Ahead of the sit-down dinner and ceremony, guests such as Storm Reid, Christine Quinn, Jurnee Smollett, and Lukas Gage trickled in from the rainy outdoors over an hour or so, greeted inside with Casamigos cocktails, filet mignon canapés, and more.
    — Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2023
  • The seven new sit-down restaurants are serving an impressive mix of Italian, Eastern European, Brazilian, French and Mexican food.
    — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 17 Mar. 2023
Definition of sit-down
Verb
  • When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva walked out of the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, Brazil, on November 8, 2019, hundreds of supporters were waiting for him.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass walked out of Palisades Garden Cafe last Thursday morning wearing a Los Angeles Fire Department jacket.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of walk out
Noun
  • With enormous amounts of debt on its balance sheet, the company is vulnerable to sharp moves in interest rates, as well as any signs of a slowdown in the data center buildout.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Elon Musk ordered the Starlink slowdown that hindered Kyiv’s defense last week, US officials told The Wall Street Journal, an episode that punctuated a stunning breakdown in US-Ukraine ties.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of slowdown
Noun
  • CalHR unsuccessfully attempted to legally block Wednesday’s walkout through the state’s labor referee.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • While it’s not made explicitly clear in the closing minutes of season four, Sewell and Russell see his walkout as a resignation.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of walkout
Noun
  • The pilots’ job action was in protest of the Belgian government’s reforms to federal pensions.
    — Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The job action shut down the entirety of New Jersey Transit’s rail service, from the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York to Atlantic City — including, most notably, trains into and out of Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan.
    — Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Definition of job action
Noun
  • Last season, Maggie faced nursing union negotiations, culminating in a sick-out.
    — Claire Franken, TVLine, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Maggie’s major Season 10 storyline involved the tense nursing union negotiations at the hospital, which culminated in a sick-out.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Definition of sick-out

Browse Nearby Words

locking (up)
lock out
lockout
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Cite this Entry

“Lock out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20out. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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