lock
Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.
Noun 4 meanings
Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.
A mutex or other token restricting access to a resource.
A segment of a canal or other navigable waterway enclosed by gates, used for raising and lowering boats between levels.
The firing mechanism in a gun.
Verb 4 meanings
To become fastened in place.
“If you put the brakes on too hard, the wheels will lock.”
To fasten with a lock.
“Remember to lock the door when you leave.”
To be capable of becoming fastened in place.
“This door locks with a key.”
To intertwine or dovetail.
“with his hands locked behind his back”
Etymology
From Middle English lok, from Old English loc, from Proto-West Germanic *lok, from Proto-Germanic *luką from Proto-Indo-European *lewg- (“to bend; turn”).
Similar and opposite words
LOCK at a glance
LOCK has 4 letters and scores 10 points in Scrabble (L 1 + O 1 + C 3 + K 5) and 12 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #2,891 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with lock
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