locks
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.devices used to keep doors, windows, or containers closed and secure.
n.mechanical or electronic fastening devices that prevent unauthorised access to doors, containers, or vehicles.
Simple“Make sure all the locks on the windows are closed before you leave.”
In context“The security audit revealed that several locks on the perimeter gates were outdated and easily bypassed by intruders.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person's hair, especially when it is long or curly.
n.a person's hair, often used in a literary or appreciative sense to describe long or flowing tresses.
Simple“She shook her long golden locks as she laughed at the joke.”
In context“The poet described her flowing locks as a river of silk cascading over her shoulders in the moonlight.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a hairstyle where the hair is twisted into thick, rope-like strands.
n.a hairstyle consisting of rope-like strands of hair formed by matting or braiding.
Simple“He has been growing his locks for over five years now.”
In context“The musician was easily recognisable by his waist-length locks and his signature colourful headwear.”
Synonymsdreadlocksdreads - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.sections of a canal with gates that move boats up or down to different water levels.
n.enclosures in a canal or river with gates at each end, used for raising or lowering boats between levels.
Simple“The boat had to wait for an hour to pass through the locks.”
In context“The engineering project involved modernising the nineteenth-century locks to accommodate larger commercial vessels on the inland waterway.”
Synonymswaterwayssluices - 05 A2 Elementary
v.to close something with a key or a code so it cannot be opened.
v.to fasten or secure a door, lid, or container using a mechanical or electronic device.
Simple“He always locks the front door as soon as he gets home.”
In context“The automated system locks all laboratory exits at midnight to ensure the safety of the sensitive equipment inside.”
Usagethird-person singular form of the verb 'lock'
“Without water, its locks, which lift and lower ships at the beginning and end of the journey, would not function.”
“It locks the front wheel at an odd angle so it can’t be ridden in a straight line, and it causes the motor to resist any attempt to roll the Olto in either direction.”