lock step

Soldiers march in lock step during the parade.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Military marching style: "lock step" refers to a way of marching in which soldiers follow each other so closely that each person's foot steps exactly where the previous person's foot was, creating a tight, synchronized movement.
   • Rigid, unvarying procedure: By extension, "lock step" describes any process or behavior that is highly uniform, inflexible, and follows a fixed pattern without deviation.

Usage Examples

• Military marching style:

  • The soldiers advanced in lock step, their boots hitting the ground in perfect unison. (They marched with each person's foot landing exactly where the previous soldier's foot had been.)
  • Lock step is often used in parades to demonstrate discipline and precision. (This marching style shows tight coordination.)

• Rigid, unvarying procedure:

  • The company's management followed lock step, never allowing new ideas to change their methods. (They adhered strictly to a fixed, unchanging procedure.)
  • The students were expected to learn in lock step, all completing the same tasks at the same pace. (The learning process was uniform and inflexible.)

Advanced Usage

• "in lock step with": moving or progressing in exact agreement or synchronization with something.

  • The new policy must be in lock step with the company's core values. (The policy must align perfectly with the values.)

• "break lock step": to deviate from a rigid, uniform pattern or to stop following a fixed procedure.

  • The team decided to break lock step and experiment with a creative approach. (They stopped following the strict, unchanging method.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lockstep (adj): characterized by rigid uniformity or synchronization.

  • The lockstep curriculum left no room for individual exploration. (The curriculum was inflexibly uniform.)

• Lock-step (adj, hyphenated): same as "lockstep", often used as a compound adjective.

  • They adopted a lock-step approach to training. (A rigid, uniform approach.)

Synonyms

• Unison: simultaneous performance or action; perfect agreement.
• Synchronization: the process of causing things to occur at the same time or in a coordinated manner.
• Rigidity: the quality of being inflexible or unyielding.

Related Idioms

• March to the beat of one's own drum: to act independently or differently from others (opposite of "lock step").

  • She refused to march to the beat of the same drum, preferring to break lock step with her peers. (She chose to be independent rather than follow the uniform pattern.)

• In step with: moving or proceeding in harmony or agreement with.

  • His decisions were always in step with the party line. (They aligned perfectly with the party's fixed position.)