cage

¹ American  

[keyj] / keɪdʒ /

noun

1. a boxlike enclosure having wires, bars, or the like, for confining and displaying birds or animals.

   Synonyms:

   pound, enclosure, coop, pen

2. anything that confines or imprisons; prison.

3. something resembling a cage in structure, as for a cashier or bank teller.

4. the car or enclosed platform of an elevator.

5. Mining. an enclosed platform for raising and lowering people and cars in a mine shaft.

6. any skeleton framework.

7. Baseball. a movable backstop for use mainly in batting practice.

8. a frame with a net attached to it, forming the goal in ice hockey and field hockey.

9. Basketball: Older Use. the basket.

10. a loose, sheer or lacy overdress worn with a slip or a close-fitting dress.

11. Ordnance. a steel framework for supporting guns.

12. Machinery. retainer.

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verb (used with object)

caged, caging

1. to put or confine in or as if in a cage.

2. Sports. to shoot (as a puck) into a cage so as to score a goal.

Cage ² American  

[keyj] / keɪdʒ /

noun

1. John, 1912–1992, U.S. composer.

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cage ¹ British  

/ keɪdʒ /

noun

1. 1. an enclosure, usually made with bars or wire, for keeping birds, monkeys, mice, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      cagebird

2. a thing or place that confines or imprisons

3. something resembling a cage in function or structure

   the rib cage

4. the enclosed platform of a lift, esp as used in a mine

5. engineering a skeleton ring device that ensures that the correct amount of space is maintained between the individual rollers or balls in a rolling bearing

6. informal the basket used in basketball

7. informal the goal in ice hockey

8. a steel framework on which guns are supported

9. informal to upset or anger someone

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verb

1. (tr) to confine in or as in a cage

Cage ² British  

/ keɪdʒ /

noun

1. John. 1912–92, US composer of experimental music for a variety of conventional, modified, or invented instruments. He evolved a type of music apparently undetermined by the composer, such as in Imaginary Landscape (1951) for 12 radio sets. Other works include Reunion (1968), Apartment Building 1776 (1976), and Europeras 3 and 4 (1990)

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Other Word Forms

• cageless adjective
• cagelike adjective
• recage verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of cage

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cavea “birdcage,” equivalent to cav(us) “hollow” + -ea, feminine of -eus adjective suffix

Example Sentences

Horsfield’s version shows the kind of sumptuous cage many aspire to live in, revealing why some people prefer to remain lavishly trapped, and others rattle the bars, hoping for escape.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

After school, I’d head to the batting cage and hit until 10 p.m.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Lights, in bird cage enclosures, still hang above the audience seating area, which has room for about 250 guests.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

“What I tried to do with it myself was make myself feel a little uncomfortable. If the viewer feels like their cage has been rattled a little bit, that’s not a bad thing.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

On Wednesday, Garth sneaked back into the room while Mrs. Brisbane went to the office during recess, and he headed straight for my cage.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• crate
• enclosure
• jail
• pen