cage
noun
a boxlike enclosure having wires, bars, or the like, for confining and displaying birds or animals.
cage
1 American
[kayj]
/ keɪdʒ /
noun
-
cages
plural
-
a boxlike enclosure having wires, bars, or the like, for confining and displaying birds or animals.
-
anything that confines or imprisons; prison.
-
something resembling a cage in structure, as for a cashier or bank teller.
-
the car or enclosed platform of an elevator.
-
Mining. an enclosed platform for raising and lowering people and cars in a mine shaft.
-
any skeleton framework.
-
Baseball. a movable backstop for use mainly in batting practice.
-
a frame with a net attached to it, forming the goal in ice hockey and field hockey.
-
Basketball: Older Use. the basket.
-
a loose, sheer or lacy overdress worn with a slip or a close-fitting dress.
-
Ordnance. a steel framework for supporting guns.
-
Machinery. retainer.
verb (used with object)
-
cages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
caged,
past participle, past
-
caging
present participle
-
to put or confine in or as if in a cage.
-
Sports. to shoot (as a puck) into a cage so as to score a goal.
Cage
2
American
[kayj]
/ keɪdʒ /
noun
cage
1
British
/ keɪdʒ /
noun
-
-
an enclosure, usually made with bars or wire, for keeping birds, monkeys, mice, etc
-
( as modifier )
cagebird
-
-
a thing or place that confines or imprisons
-
something resembling a cage in function or structure
the rib cage
-
the enclosed platform of a lift, esp as used in a mine
-
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
-
informal the basket used in basketball
-
informal the goal in ice hockey
-
a steel framework on which guns are supported
-
informal to upset or anger someone
verb
Cage
2
British
/ keɪdʒ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cagesimple
-
cagessimple
-
have cagedperfect
-
has cagedperfect
-
am cagingprogressive
-
are cagingprogressive
-
is cagingprogressive
-
have been cagingperfect progressive
-
has been cagingperfect progressive
Past
-
cagedsimple
-
had cagedperfect
-
was cagingprogressive
-
were cagingprogressive
-
had been cagingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A cage is a structure that keeps an animal captive. If you decide to raise a tiger in your bedroom, it's best to have a sturdy cage. Cage is equally at home as a noun or verb. For instance, a batting cage is fun, but a free bird does not desire you to cage it. A cage of an elevator is great to ride to the 30th floor, but not so great if you’re riding it down into the mines and it breaks 40 feet below the earth.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Days later, in a different cage, they switched those cells on with light.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Anthony Beshara, the father of a 16-year-old in Katonah, N.Y., paid between $25,000 and $30,000 to install a backyard cage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
He said he is being barred from ever coaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District again because a student was injured in building the batting cage, an allegation he denies and is appealing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Large said the red cage fungus also had another notable characteristic.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Next he stuck his face out of the cage and looked around, his eyes like burning coals.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
He offered millions of dollars to big-name talent including Nicolas Cage, who worked about two weeks on the film, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
As fires and high tides batter Malibu, Nicolas Cage is working to rescue his oceanfront home from a different threat: a sinkhole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
“My agent’s out there somewhere listening,” Cage said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Nicolas Cage is making it clear — he’s not an “AI-friendly actor.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
He has made a number of shocking and successful films, including Meat Cage, Terror on the Street Where You Live, and Party Animal.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
The plants, constructed in fortified bunkers and protected from drone attack by huge steel cages, are each capable of providing electricity and heat to several hundred of the city's high-rise apartment blocks.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Only that there were cages on both sides.”
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Detainees at the now-shuttered immigration facility in Florida known as "Alligator Alcatraz" were held at times in metal cages the size of phone booths, according to a new report.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Genetic evidence suggests the wild oysters are their offspring—spawn that slipped the cages and grew free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The baskets fitted so tightly the animals could hardly wiggle as cages of tsetse flies were placed over them.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
The boy holds a caged bird; the girl, a fish tank.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Herzog impresses this notion from the very beginning: A dream shared by Joan and Jean, in which the sisters stand in a corridor flanked by caged birds.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The wedding industry that’s created demand for everything from caged doves to ceiling flowers finally is turning its attention to men, reminding brides of four important words: It’s his day too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
On a workbench nearby, sea mine-shaped lamps stand on metal casts of hawk feet alongside caged bubble glass lanterns that appear as if they might burst from internal pressure.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
They heard from the secret gardens the singing of caged birds and heard the splash of cooling water on hot flagstones.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
None of the people involved in caging the fawn were identified, according to the release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Ben Williamson, who works for PeTA, says that the new box shows that people today no longer accept “the chaining and caging of wild animals.”
From NewsForKids.net ● Apr. 23, 2024
“Simply caging corals and then removing the cages later, that’s two times the amount of work, two times the amount of bottom time,” Karp said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
One tomb, part of a substantial cemetery surrounding a monastery to the west of Xylotymbou village was being used for caging cats.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2024
No interest in caging the prey for later use.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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