lock in

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb (transitive):
    • To confine or secure someone or something in a place from which they cannot escape or be removed. This meaning emphasizes physical restraint or secure containment.
    • To seal something tightly, thereby preserving or trapping its contents or qualities. This meaning is often used figuratively to describe preventing something from being lost or changed.
Usage and Examples

  • Verb (confining/securing):

    • The warden decided to lock in the unruly prisoner for the night.
    • Before the storm, we locked all the valuable equipment in the storage shed.

  • Verb (sealing/preserving):

    • This special container locks in freshness for weeks.
    • The new contract locks in the current interest rate for five years.
Advanced Usage

  • "to be locked in" (idiomatic/adjectival phrase): To be firmly committed, engaged, or unable to change a decision or course of action.

    • Once you sign the agreement, you are locked in for the duration of the project.
    • The two chess players were locked in a fierce battle for first place.

  • "to lock oneself in": To voluntarily confine oneself in a place.

    • He locked himself in his study to finish writing his book.
Variants and Related Words

  • Lock-in (noun): An event or situation where people are confined in a place for a specific activity (e.g., a store promotion or a team-building event).

    • The library is having an all-night study lock-in for final exams.

  • Locked (adjective): The state of being secured or fastened.

  • Lockable (adjective): Capable of being locked.
Synonyms
  • Confine: To keep or restrict someone or something within certain limits.
  • Secure: To fix or fasten something firmly so it cannot be moved or lost.
  • Enclose: To surround or close off on all sides.
  • Preserve: To maintain something in its original or existing state.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Lock away: To put something in a locked place for safekeeping or to imprison someone. Often implies long-term storage or confinement.
    • She locked away her grandmother's letters in a trunk.
  • Lock up: Very similar to "lock in" for the confining meaning. It can also mean to secure a building by locking its doors.
    • Don't forget to lock up the office when you leave.
Related Idioms
  • Lock, stock, and barrel: Completely, including every part.
    • They sold the business lock, stock, and barrel.
  • Lock horns: To become involved in a conflict or argument.
    • The managers locked horns over the new budget.
Verb
  1. place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot escape
    • The parents locked her daughter up for the weekend
    • She locked her jewels in the safe
  2. close with or as if with a tight seal
    • This vacuum pack locks in the flavor!

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