locker

locker — noun

1. A tall, narrow metal box fitted with a lock, used to keep personal items safe in

1.nounB1
Definition

A tall, narrow metal box fitted with a lock, used to keep personal items safe in shared spaces such as schools, sports centres, or stations.

Example

Mert opened his gym locker and took out a clean towel.

collocation: gym locker

The station has lockers where passengers can leave bags for a few hours.

collocation: station lockers for temporary storage

Common collocations
  • open a locker
  • close a locker
  • put something in a locker
  • take something out of a locker
  • locker key
  • locker combination
  • gym locker
  • school locker
  • luggage locker
  • staff locker
  • metal locker
  • locker room
Synonyms
  • cabinet

    a piece of furniture with shelves and doors, usually in kitchens or offices; may or may not lock

  • compartment

    a general term for any sectioned-off storage space — does not necessarily have a lock

  • footlocker

    a small chest that can be locked, historically used in military contexts; less common in everyday learner vocabulary

Grammar Patterns

a locker

the locker

locker + noun

Usage Note

Commonly found in compound nouns where the location or purpose comes first: school locker, gym locker, luggage locker, staff locker. The rooms where rows of lockers are kept are called locker rooms.

Common Mistakes

I put my books in the cabinet at school.' (when you mean a tall metal container you can lock).
I put my books in my school locker.
a cabinet is a piece of furniture with shelves, usually not lockable; a locker is specifically designed for safe storage and has a built-in lock.
Idioms

locker-room talk

idiom

Informal, often rude or sexual conversation of the kind people imagine happens in men's changing rooms.

The politician dismissed the recording as just locker-room talk from years ago.

Some fans were offended by the athlete's locker-room humour during the interview.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'locker' is a narrow, lockable metal container found in public places like schools or gyms, used to store personal items temporarily. A 'cabinet' is a piece of furniture with shelves and doors, common in kitchens or offices — it may or may not lock. A 'cupboard' is similar to a cabinet but often used for food or household supplies and rarely has a lock. A 'safe' is a strong, heavily secured container for valuable items like money or documents, designed to prevent theft and fire. A 'compartment' is a general term for any sectioned-off space within a larger container (e.g. a glove compartment in a car) and does not necessarily have a lock. For example: 'I put my gym bag in my locker while I swam.' vs. 'I keep the plates in the kitchen cupboard.' vs. 'She stores her jewellery in a safe at home.'

cabinet ↗cupboard ↗safe ↗compartment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • locker room
  • locker key

Phrases

  • put something in a locker
  • take something out of a locker

Prepositions

  • in a locker
  • out of a locker

Etymology

Middle EnglishOld EnglishGermanic

The word 'locker' comes from Middle English, formed from the noun 'lock' (the device that fastens something) plus the suffix '-er' (which turns a verb or noun into 'something that does or contains'). So a locker is literally 'a container that can be locked.' The word was first used in the 14th century for a chest that could be locked, especially on ships. The modern meaning of a tall, narrow metal storage compartment in schools, gyms, and stations became common in the late 1800s and early 1900s.