lock off
C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To close off and lock an area so nobody can enter.
Literal meaning: To lock something away from access — 'off' indicates separation or exclusion.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
To restrict access to an area or section by securing it with a lock.
"The maintenance crew locked off the top floor of the building during the renovation."
Grammar: separable
2 C1 neutral
(Film/TV production) To fix a camera in a completely stationary position for a shot.
"The director asked the operator to lock off the camera for the long static wide shot."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Used in technical, construction, and security contexts. Also appears in broadcasting and television production ('lock off a camera shot' means to fix the camera in a stationary position). The camera sense is common in film production vocabulary.
Commonly used with
area section camera zone corridor shot
Forms
Base
lock off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
locks off
he/she/it
Past simple
locked off
yesterday
Past participle
locked off
have + pp
-ing form
locking off
continuous
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Synonyms
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