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
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 July 2026
Major League Baseball faces an impending lockout as the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1st.
—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Abhik Biswas,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
So which consumer is real — the one squeezed by prices and locked out of the housing market, or the one with a clean balance sheet and a plane ticket to Ibiza?
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for lockout
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Noun
The Curt Flood Act means the exemption no longer applies to MLB players’ employment—the topic of the lockout.
—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 July 2026
Major League Baseball faces an impending lockout as the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1st.
—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Verb
In cybersecurity, the equivalent appears when over-aggressive controls lock out real users, isolate healthy services, kill critical processes or trigger cascading operational disruption.
—
Abhik Biswas,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
So which consumer is real — the one squeezed by prices and locked out of the housing market, or the one with a clean balance sheet and a plane ticket to Ibiza?
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for lockout
Cite this Entry
“Lockout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockout. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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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