coop
1 Americannoun
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an enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wires, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening, transportation, etc.
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any small or narrow place.
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Slang. a prison.
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Sometimes Facetious. a cooperative, especially the cooperative bookstore of a college or university.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
abbreviation
noun
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a cage or small enclosure for poultry or small animals
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a small narrow place of confinement, esp a prison cell
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a wicker basket for catching fish
verb
noun
abbreviation
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
- uncoop verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of coop
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English coupe “basket,” perhaps from Scandinavian or ultimately from Latin cūpa “cask, tub” ( cup ( def. ) ); cognate with Norwegian kaup “wooden can,” Old English cȳpa “basket”
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.
The sky is a brilliant and sharp winter blue as Meadowlark and I finish cleaning out and replacing the bedding in the last chicken coop.
From Literature
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When your kids have flown the coop, this is where you will probably spend your retirement years, so picture yourselves living there if/when you have reduced mobility.
From MarketWatch
In short, the wolves are watching the chicken coop.
From Salon
Wait, didn’t the news story say something about a chicken coop?
From Literature
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“Unlike apartment life, townhouses offer the freedom of full independence: no shared walls, no coop boards or common lobbies, no neighbors above or below,” it read.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.