# locks

/ˈɫɑks/ (US) · /lˈɒks/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/locks
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. fastening devices

noun · CEFR A2

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

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

- Make sure all the locks on the windows are closed before you leave.
- The security audit revealed that several locks on the perimeter gates were outdated and easily bypassed by intruders.

### 2. hair

noun · CEFR B2 · Literary

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

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

- She shook her long golden locks as she laughed at the joke.
- The poet described her flowing locks as a river of silk cascading over her shoulders in the moonlight.

### 3. dreadlocks

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

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

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

- He has been growing his locks for over five years now.
- The musician was easily recognisable by his waist-length locks and his signature colourful headwear.

### 4. canal gates

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The boat had to wait for an hour to pass through the locks.
- The engineering project involved modernising the nineteenth-century locks to accommodate larger commercial vessels on the inland waterway.

### 5. to fasten or secure

verb · CEFR A2

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

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

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

## Examples

- She spent hours brushing her long, golden locks.
- The actor had to cut his famous flowing locks for a new role in a historical drama.
- The shampoo advertisement featured a model with shimmering, chestnut locks that seemed to catch every ray of light as she moved through the garden.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.