1. a person whose job is to operate the locks on a canal or waterway

Examples

• The lockkeeper opened the gates to allow the barge to pass through.
• She worked as a lockkeeper on the Erie Canal for twenty years.
• The lockkeeper’s cottage stood beside the lock chamber.
• Boats must wait for the lockkeeper’s signal before entering the lock.
• The old lockkeeper knew every captain who traveled this waterway.
• Modern locks are automated, but some still require a lockkeeper.