coop

¹ American  

[koop, koop] / kup, kʊp /

noun

1. an enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wires, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening, transportation, etc.

2. any small or narrow place.

3. Slang. a prison.

4. Sometimes Facetious. a cooperative, especially the cooperative bookstore of a college or university.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place in or as if in a coop; confine narrowly (often followed by up orin ).

verb (used without object)

1. Slang. (of a police officer) to park and sleep inside one's patrol car while on duty.

idioms

1. fly the coop, to run off; depart abruptly; escape.

   We stopped to see my sister, but she'd flown the coop.

coop. ² American  

Or co-op

abbreviation

1. cooperative.

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coop ¹ British  

/ kuːp /

noun

1. a cage or small enclosure for poultry or small animals

2. a small narrow place of confinement, esp a prison cell

3. a wicker basket for catching fish

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verb

1. (tr; often foll by up or in) to confine in a restricted area

coop ² British  

/ ˈkəʊˌɒp /

noun

1. a cooperative, cooperative society, or shop run by a cooperative society

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coop ³ British  

abbreviation

1. a cooperative

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coop. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. cooperative

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coop More Idioms  

1. see fly the coop.

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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

In short, the wolves are watching the chicken coop.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026

“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 • Dec. 12, 2025

You had an M.B.A. and were living in a chicken coop without running water.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Fonterra said it expected the deal to be completed in the first half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals and the process of separating the consumer operations from the rest of the coop.

From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025

I slipped in an old pan for their water trough and fastened the chicken coop door closed.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson