ENGLISH
REFERENCE

locks

n. · v.
US //ˈɫɑks// UK //lˈɒks// locks
  1. 1 fastening devices (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    devices used to keep doors, windows, or containers closed and secure.

    mechanical or electronic fastening devices that prevent unauthorised access to doors, containers, or vehicles.

    Example

    Make sure all the locks on the windows are closed before you leave.

    Example

    The security audit revealed that several locks on the perimeter gates were outdated and easily bypassed by intruders.
  2. 2 hair (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

    a person's hair, especially when it is long or curly.

    a person's hair, often used in a literary or appreciative sense to describe long or flowing tresses.

    Example

    She shook her long golden locks as she laughed at the joke.

    Example

    The poet described her flowing locks as a river of silk cascading over her shoulders in the moonlight.
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  1. 3 dreadlocks (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    a hairstyle where the hair is twisted into thick, rope-like strands.

    a hairstyle consisting of rope-like strands of hair formed by matting or braiding.

    Example

    He has been growing his locks for over five years now.

    Example

    The musician was easily recognisable by his waist-length locks and his signature colourful headwear.
  2. 4 canal gates (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    sections of a canal with gates that move boats up or down to different water levels.

    enclosures in a canal or river with gates at each end, used for raising or lowering boats between levels.

    Example

    The boat had to wait for an hour to pass through the locks.

    Example

    The engineering project involved modernising the nineteenth-century locks to accommodate larger commercial vessels on the inland waterway.
  3. 5 to fasten or secure (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to close something with a key or a code so it cannot be opened.

    to fasten or secure a door, lid, or container using a mechanical or electronic device.

    Example

    He always locks the front door as soon as he gets home.

    Example

    The automated system locks all laboratory exits at midnight to ensure the safety of the sensitive equipment inside.

    Usage

    third-person singular form of the verb 'lock'

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