lock

A lock is a device used for keeping something safe and secure. There are different methods of opening something that is locked.

A combination lock requires a series of numbers and the spinning of a dial.
A padlock requires a key to open it.
A computer can be locked with a password.
Some locks are opened only after an amount of time has passed.
Doors for a business are locked at night. They are unlocked in the morning.

This word is also used as a verb.

• Olivia locks her door before she leaves her house.
• We locked the doors to our car when we left it at the airport.
• Some people who live in rural areas never lock their doors because they say they have nothing to fear.
• The young man was locked up in prison for ten years for shooting someone.
• Jim and Linda locked on a good interest rate for their mortgage. (To lock on a rate is to secure an amount of money to be borrowed at a particular rate of interest.)

The word "locked" is an adjective:

• The door is locked.
• You’ll need a key for a locked door.
• A locked cell phone requires a password of some kind.

Note: The word "locker" is related to "lock." A locker is a small, secure place where personal items may be stored during the day. Lockers are found at schools, gymnasiums, and shopping malls.

She likes to hang out at her locker.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

May 12, 2015