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chicken wire

American  

noun

  1. a light, wire netting having a large, hexagonal mesh, used especially as fencing.


chicken wire British  

noun

  1. wire netting with a hexagonal mesh

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chicken wire

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

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.

Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern that looks like chicken wire.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2025

The rooms have no ceilings and are instead covered in chicken wire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

By all accounts, visiting the site from inside the chicken wire is a crimped and diminished experience.

From Slate • Jul. 30, 2025

An MP said his skin cancer was discovered after he accidentally cut himself on chicken wire fencing.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2025

The window was greenish, with that chicken wire mesh they used to put inside glass.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

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