lock horns

horn

L l

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hawrn]
- /lɒk hɔːrn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hawrn]
- /lɒk hɔːrn/

Definitions of lock horns words

noun lock horns a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or the like in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled and withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a key, dial, etc. 1
noun lock horns a contrivance for fastening or securing something. 1
noun lock horns the mechanism that explodes the charge; gunlock. safety (def 4). 1
noun lock horns any device or part for stopping temporarily the motion of a mechanism. 1
noun lock horns an enclosed chamber in a canal, dam, etc., with gates at each end, for raising or lowering vessels from one level to another by admitting or releasing water. 1
noun lock horns an air lock or decompression chamber. 1

See all 31 definitions of lock horns

Information block about the term

Origin of lock horns

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English horn(e) (noun), Old English horn; cognate with Dutch horen, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish horn, German Horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu cornu, Irish, Welsh corn; akin to Greek kéras horn (see cerat-)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Lock horns

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Lock horns

lock horns popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

lock horns usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for lock horns

verb lock horns

clash — When people clash, they fight, argue, or disagree with each other.
collide — If two or more moving people or objects collide, they crash into one another. If a moving person or object collides with a person or object that is not moving, they crash into them.
contend — If you have to contend with a problem or difficulty, you have to deal with it or overcome it.
grapple — to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.

All 4 Synonyms of lock horns