an enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wires, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening, transportation, etc.
any small or narrow place.
Slang. a prison.
Sometimes Facetious. a cooperative, especially the cooperative bookstore of a college or university.
a cage or small enclosure for poultry or small animals
a small narrow place of confinement, esp a prison cell
a wicker basket for catching fish
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English coupe “basket,” perhaps from Scandinavian or ultimately from Latin cūpa “cask, tub” ( see cup ( def. )); cognate with Norwegian kaup “wooden can,” Old English cȳpa “basket”
A coop is a small enclosed area or structure where chickens are kept. If you feel cooped up, you feel like you’re stuck in a small space, like a giant chicken in a tiny cage. A coop is where chickens get shelter from bad weather and predators. Without a hyphen, the word co-op, which is short for co-operative organization, turns into coop. That can be confusing to chickens because they don’t know if they will have meetings or a safe place to lay eggs. Coop comes from the Old English word cype, "basket" or "cask," with the Latin root cupa, "cask" or "tub."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“You are to complete your task as quickly as possible and then wait for me among the baby dodos, in the chicken coop. Understood?”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
“Wonderful. Find the book and bring it to the chicken coop. Simawoo will know what to do with it. Wait for me there. And remember, when it comes to the birds...”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
"Two canaries,” Dad shouted, "known as Peter and Maggie and by other aliases, have flown the coop. No matter. We wouldn’t think of delaying you further.”
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
“As I was leaving, I passed this old guy in his yard. Sparks from the fire burned his chicken coop. I asked if I could help. He said yes.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
“This lady,” I say, “she walked by and said a lot of people around here have chickens. That they might need a coop. Do you think that’s true?”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
