From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlockoutlock‧out /ˈlɒkaʊt $ ˈlɑːk-/ noun [countable] STOP WORKING/GO ON STRIKEa situation when a company does not allow workers to go back to work, especially in a factory, until they accept the employers’ conditions → lock out at lock1
Examples from the Corpus
lockout• However, when the unions proved reluctant to make concessions, the employers would have to contemplate the possibility of a lockout.• Seven of the previous eight labour-contract renegotiations have involved either a players' strike or a lockout.• Employers brought maximum pressure to bear on workers in order to restore order: recalcitrant strikers faced lockouts.• Others specialised in local events, such as strikes, lockouts or disasters.• But the lockout, and the ensuing negotiations, produced a fait accompli that could not be undone.• Miller still thinks the lockout is what set him back.• The lockout was lifted months ago, and still the season started late. 