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lock in

verb locks in · locking in · locked in

  1. transitive Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: To secure (someone or something) in a locked enclosure. The dog won't escape now we've locked him in.
  2. transitive To fix the value of (something potentially variable). I've locked in a rate of 5%.
  3. colloquial, transitive To prevent (someone or something) from escaping, deteriorating, or switching to an alternative. Our new foil packets keep the flavour of the crisps locked in.
  4. transitive To synchronize (especially a rhythm section) into a groove.
  5. colloquial, intransitive, transitive To focus entirely (on something). I need to lock in for this exam I'm taking tomorrow.

Opposite: lock out

noun lock ins

  1. nonstandard Nonstandard spelling of lock-in

Thesaurus

verb

Opposite: lock out

Translations

Every language

verb to secure someone or something in

Españolencerrar, enllavar

verb to prevent switching

Españolenllavar, llavear, llavir, candar

verb to focus entirely

Españolencauzarse, encarrilarse, mecatearse, hiperenfocarse, abocarse, concertarse
中文盡力而為 /尽力而为 jìnlì'érwéi, 全力以赴 quánlìyǐfù
Françaisse donner à fond, mettre le plaquet
Deutschsich ins Zeug legen

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MLA

"lock in." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lock%20in. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lock in. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lock%20in

Chicago

"lock in." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lock%20in.

BibTeX
@misc{lock_in_2026,
  title = {lock in},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lock%20in},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}