henhouse
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of henhouse
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.
Is this a fox in the henhouse scenario, they ask?
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
It is relevant because trusting the very agency that has been responsible for the myriad problems plaguing Arizona’s death-penalty system is a classic instance of letting the fox guard the henhouse.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2025
Public outcry around the report likens a Pentagon self-investigation to charging the fox to guard the henhouse.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2024
“It’s the fox guarding the henhouse and they should not be at the table when it’s governments who have the jurisdiction to regulate,” Su said.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023
The woman was already hurrying down the path toward the henhouse.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
