lock away
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (transitive): To confine someone or something securely in a place from which removal or escape is intended to be impossible. It implies placing an object in a very secure location or isolating a person in a confined space.
Usage and Examples
The verb "lock away" is used with a direct object (the person or thing being confined). It often carries a connotation of secrecy, security, or punishment.
For objects: To store something valuable or dangerous in a very secure place.
- He locked away the confidential documents in a fireproof cabinet.
- It's wise to lock away your medications so children cannot reach them.
For people: To imprison or isolate someone, often in a restrictive institution like a prison or mental health facility.
- The judge decided to lock the violent offender away for life.
- In the past, people with certain illnesses were sometimes locked away from society.
Advanced Usage and Nuance
- Figurative Use: Can be used metaphorically to describe suppressing emotions or memories.
- After the trauma, she locked away her feelings and never spoke of the event again.
- Emphatic Form: "Locked away" is often used in the passive voice to emphasize the state of confinement.
- The treasure has been locked away for centuries.
Variants and Related Words
- Lock up: A very common synonym with identical meaning and usage patterns. ("Lock up" can also mean to secure a building by locking its doors.)
- Put away (informal/slang): Often used with the same meaning, especially regarding imprisoning someone.
- Shut away: Similar meaning, with a possible stronger nuance of isolation and seclusion.
- Imprison / Incarcerate: More formal synonyms specifically for confining people.
- Secure: A more general verb for making something safe, which can involve locking.
Synonyms
Confine, imprison, incarcerate, shut up, put away, seal up.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Lock in: To prevent someone or something from leaving a place. Focuses more on the act of trapping inside rather than the long-term secure storage implied by "lock away."
- I accidentally locked myself in the bathroom.
- Lock out: To prevent someone from entering a place.
- I forgot my keys and got locked out of the house.
Related Idioms
- To be under lock and key: To be securely locked up.
- The original manuscript is kept under lock and key in the museum's vault.
- Lock, stock, and barrel: Completely, including everything. (While containing "lock," this idiom is unrelated to the verb "lock away.")
- They sold the business lock, stock, and barrel.
Verb
- 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