Entry · catalog no. 9945
lock in
/ — /pending
verb · phrase · nationwide · 2026
✓ Verified
1.
To shut out distraction and give something your full, committed focus.
“Finals next week — time to lock in.”
Origin & Attribution
African American Vernacular English, in circulation by the late 2000s and widespread well before it became a 2023 internet catchphrase for focus and discipline.
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
Nationwide / diaspora
nationwide · 2026
Spoken by
nationwide
$LOCKINThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Rising0 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
12/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
2026
in the culture
Recorded here
2026
point of first record
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@auntiereg
Atlanta, GA
@deltasoul
Memphis, TN
Contribute your pronunciation
See also