lock away
phrasal verb
locked away; locking away; locks away
1
: to put (something) in a locked container, place, etc.
The jewelry was locked away in a cabinet.
2
: to put (someone) in a locked place (such as a prison) for a long period of time
lock away a criminal
The state locked their sister away in a psychiatric hospital.
3
: to keep (oneself) alone in a room or place for a long period of time
He locked himself away in his room while he studied.
He was locked away in his room while he studied.
Examples of lock away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just start with a Heavy Duty Sweeping Cloth to grab hair, dust and dirt, then switch to Heavy Duty Mopping Pads to dissolve and lock away grime.
—
Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Mortgages, small-business loans, community development projects, the kinds of credit that had been locked away from Black neighborhoods for generations, would finally flow back in.
—Lenwood V. Long, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
That limitation has capped how much carbon plants can lock away.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
Limiting access to medications One of the most important lessons to come out of the data is that families should lock away over-the-counter and prescription medications and dispose of old products safely, Hoffmann said.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock away
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Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Mortgages, small-business loans, community development projects, the kinds of credit that had been locked away from Black neighborhoods for generations, would finally flow back in.
—Lenwood V. Long, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
That limitation has capped how much carbon plants can lock away.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
Limiting access to medications One of the most important lessons to come out of the data is that families should lock away over-the-counter and prescription medications and dispose of old products safely, Hoffmann said.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock away
Cite this Entry
“Lock away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lock%20away. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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