brainlock

B3R1A1I1N1L1O1C3K5

noun

The situation where a person's brain seems to freeze up, preventing them from proceeding.

Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounbrainlock (uncountable)
  1. informaluncountableThe situation where a person's brain seems to freeze up, preventing them from proceeding.

    Pilots worry about "brainlock" — that sickening sensation when you pull out of a vertical dive at near 200 mph and have no idea what figure comes next.

    1991, Air & Space Smithsonian, volume 6, page 78
    1 more example

    Another, more disturbing reason for no-pulls is what skydivers call brainlock. Jumping out of a plane with your heart pounding and stress hormones pumping, it's no surprise that your mind can freeze up for a few seconds.

    2009, Ben Sherwood, The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life

Origin

From brain + lock.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

brainlock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brainlock

MLA

“brainlock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brainlock. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brainlock,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brainlock.

Source: brainlock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.