Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brainlock

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: brain-lock
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The situation where a person's brain seems to freeze up, preventing them from proceeding.

Informal; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Pilots worry about "brainlock" — that sickening sensation when you pull out of a vertical dive at near 200 mph and have no idea what figure comes next."
"Another, more disturbing reason for no-pulls is what skydivers call brainlock. Jumping out of a plane with your heart pounding and stress hormones pumping, it's no surprise that your mind can freeze up for a few seconds."

Etymology

From brain + lock.

Usage

Questions

What does brainlock mean?: The situation where a person's brain seems to freeze up, preventing them from proceeding.
Where does brainlock come from?: From brain + lock.

How to pronounce brainlock

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “brainlock”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “brainlock”.
Repeat and practice — Say “brainlock” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.