lock·out
ˈläk-ˌau̇t 
: the withholding of employment by an employer and the whole or partial closing of the business establishment in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees
locked out; locking out; locks out
: to subject (a body of employees) to a lockout
Examples of lockout in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Hopes rested on the shoulders of two young phenoms who entered the league the year the lockout ended: Sidney Crosby, the divine 18-year-old Canadian drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and of course, Ovechkin, the bruising 20-year-old from Moscow.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 23 Mar. 2025
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Many of the workers — already off-boarded, locked out of their offices and disconnected from emails when the rulings came down — have yet to return to their jobs.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lockout
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Noun
Prior to that, Ottawa reached the postseason every year between 1997 and 2008, a streak interrupted only by the 2004-05 lockout.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Hopes rested on the shoulders of two young phenoms who entered the league the year the lockout ended: Sidney Crosby, the divine 18-year-old Canadian drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and of course, Ovechkin, the bruising 20-year-old from Moscow.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
The Grizzlies would be locked into the play-in tournament, or outside the top six with a loss to the Nuggets and a Golden State win, while the Timberwolves would also be locked out of the top six teams with a loss and wins by all of the Nuggets, the Clippers, and the Warriors.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Many of the workers — already off-boarded, locked out of their offices and disconnected from emails when the rulings came down — have yet to return to their jobs.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lockout
Cite this Entry
“Lockout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockout. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lockout
noun
lock·out
-ˌau̇t
: the stopping of work or closing of a plant by an employer during a labor dispute in order to make the employees come to terms
Legal Definition
lockout
noun
lock·out
ˈläk-ˌau̇t
: the withholding of employment by an employer in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees
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