Meanings
present singular third person locks on · participle present locking on · participle past locked on · past locked on
- intransitiveTo begin tracking a target via an automated system.
When the triangle came into view, the robot would then 'lock on' and move directly towards it, adjusting its course as it went.
1997, Phil Husbands, Inman Harvey, Fourth European Conference on Artificial Life, page 3561 more example
Glasgow's Sea Darts failed to lock on to the attackers, but the Sea Wolfs from Brilliant shot down one Skyhawk while another attacker crashed while trying to evade the missiles.
2013, Jim Keys, Fighting Brits, page 255 - transitiveTo cause a missile to track (a target).
- intransitiveTo engage in a lock-on protest.
Translations
Polish śledzić, celować
- śledzićto begin tracking a target via an automated system
- celowaćto cause a missile to track
- wycelowaćto cause a missile to track
Spanish fijarse, fijar
- fijarseto begin tracking a target via an automated system
- fijarto cause a missile to track
- encauzarto cause a missile to track
Cite this entry
lock on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lock%20on
“lock on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lock%20on. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lock on,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lock%20on.
Source: lock on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.