zoo

[ zoo ]
/ zu /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR zoo ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural zoos.

Also called zoological garden. a parklike area in which live animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public exhibition.
Informal. a place, activity, or group marked by chaos or unrestrained behavior.

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a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
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Origin of zoo

First recorded in 1840–50; first two syllables of zoological garden taken as one syllable

Words nearby zoo

zonular cataract, zonular space, zonule, zonulitis, zonulolysis, zoo, zoobiotic, zoochem., zoochemistry, zoochlorella, zoochore

Definition for zoo (2 of 2)

zoo-

a combining form meaning “living being,” “animal,” used in the formation of compound words: zoometry; zooplankton.
Also especially before a vowel, zo-.

Origin of zoo-

combining form representing Greek zôion animal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Content related to zoo

Take A Zoo Word Trip With Dictionary.com And The Houston ZooFrom habitat to pachyderm, these words will help kids of all ages understand more about the plants, animals, and environments they see represented at the zoo. See if you can find an exhibit that gives you an example of each one!
READ MORE

Words related to zoo

circus, menagerie, asylum, shambles, madhouse, zoological garden, three-ring circus

Example sentences from the Web for zoo

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (1 of 2)

zoo
/ (zuː) /

noun plural zoos

a place where live animals are kept, studied, bred, and exhibited to the publicFormal term: zoological garden

Word Origin for zoo

C19: shortened from zoological gardens (originally applied to those in London)

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (2 of 2)

zoo-

before a vowel zo-

combining form

indicating animalszooplankton

Word Origin for zoo-

from Greek zōion animal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for zoo

zoo-

pref.

Animal; animal kingdom:zoonosis.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with zoo

zoo

see it's a zoo.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.