lock-in

plural lock-ins · alternative lockin

1. USA sleepover party, usually held in a public place such as a church or school, in which the participants are not allowed to leave until the next morning.

   The youth group will have their annual lock-in this weekend.

   Synonyms: wakeover

2. IrelandUKAn illegal but widely-tolerated invitation-only gathering in a pub, after the end of licensing hours, to allow regular customers the opportunity to enjoy further drinking time.

   He was a lunatic drunk and started sing songs that lasted into the early hours of the morning and resulted in many weekend lock-ins in the village pub.

   2009, Annette J. Dunlea, Always and Forever, page 53

3. businessA situation in which a business has adopted a certain standard or product from a specific manufacturer and integrated it into their process, thus making it very costly to change to a different standard or supplier.

   vendor lock-in

4. businessThe situation where an investor cannot trade without incurring an undesirable penalty such as taxation.