playpen

American  

[pley-pen] / ˈpleɪˌpɛn /

noun

• playpens
  plural

1. a small enclosure, usually portable, in which a young child can play safely alone without constant supervision.

2. playground.

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playpen British  

/ ˈpleɪˌpɛn /

noun

1. a small enclosure, usually portable, in which a young child can be left to play in safety

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• playpens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of playpen

First recorded in 1930–35; play + pen ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

playpen playpens

The hangout chair is part of a modular system with a floating bar, hammocks, tubes, and loungers that can be connected to create an in-water playpen.

From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025

As a concept, Outside Joke’s Netflix-themed playpen in the parking lot of the Palladium has its charms.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2024

She’s a paid caregiver and simply rolls out of bed to tend to her charge: her 2-year-old son, who sleeps in a portable playpen right beside her.

From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2024

But there are some changes, as the upper deck, which featured blankets, beanbags, mattresses and a playpen for the children - now folds down to become a mobile stage.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2022

Just before the spermiogenesis and oogenesis, the cell turns briefly into a playpen for genes.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Walking trails, native gardens and playpens ring the structure, watched over by an army of volunteers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

To academics and critics scrabbling away in the ideological playpens constructed by the likes of Clement Greenberg, Michael Fried and Rosalind Krauss, Freud’s stubborn devotion to the possibilities of realist portraiture was vexing.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2022

For about three months the couple lived out of their Explorer with two playpens in the back.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2021

“He has equipped his therapy chambers with an array of nursery props — teddy bears, cribs, playpens, dolls, football helmets, baby rattles, security blankets — all to help adults turn the clock back.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2017

The solution developed by the Johns Hopkins team was to create a literal barrier between the children and the dangers of Bangladesh's many waterways - in the form of locally made wooden and plastic playpens.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2015