Meaning & use
locks
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Meanings
nounpluralliterary
Hair on a person's head, especially long or attractive hair, as a group of strands.
Grammar: Always plural with this meaning: her golden locks, not a golden lock of hair when you mean the whole head.
Patterns
- long locks
- locks of hair
Her long locks fell over her shoulders.
He ran a hand through his thinning locks.
The portrait showed a girl with golden locks.
nounplural
Plural of lock: devices that fasten a door, window or container so that it can only be opened with a key or code.
Grammar: Plural of the countable noun lock: the locks were changed.
Patterns
- change the locks
- pick the locks
The landlord changed the locks after the tenant moved out.
There are three locks on the front door.
She tested all the locks before going to bed.
nounplural
Enclosed sections of a canal or river with gates, used to raise or lower boats between different water levels.
Grammar: Plural of lock in the waterway sense: the boat passed through six locks.
Patterns
- pass through the locks
- a flight of locks
The narrowboat passed through six locks in one afternoon.
Volunteers help to operate the locks on the canal.
The locks were closed for repairs over winter.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Third person singular of lock: fastens something, or becomes fixed and unable to move.
Grammar: Used with he, she or it: she locks the door; the wheel locks.
Patterns
- locks something
- something locks
She locks the door every night at ten.
The brake locks when you pull the lever.
Word forms
| base form | lock |
|---|
Common combinations
- long locks
- He grew his long locks for years.
- golden locks
- The fairy tale girl had golden locks.
- change the locks
- We had to change the locks after losing the keys.
- pick the locks
- The burglar could pick the locks in seconds.
- canal locks
- The canal locks are worked by hand.
- locks of hair
- She kept a few locks of hair in a small box.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tresses
- Tresses is even more poetic than locks, and is used almost only for a woman's long hair.
- hair
- Hair is the ordinary word, while locks makes it sound more decorative or old-fashioned.
- curls
- Curls describes the shape of hair, but locks does not say whether it is curly or straight.
- fasteners
- Fasteners is a broad word for things that hold something shut and does not require a key as locks do.
Word family
Commonly confused: locks or lox?
locks vs lox
Lox is smoked salmon eaten on a bagel. It sounds exactly the same as locks but has nothing to do with doors or hair.
Practice
In 'She tucked her silver locks under the hat', what does locks mean?
Choose one answer.
Locks here refers to hair, which fits being tucked under a hat. The other meanings do not make sense with silver and a hat.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “locks”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.