1
: a cage or small enclosure (as for poultry)
also : a small building for housing poultry
2
a
: a confined area
b
: jail

coop

2 of 3

verb

cooped; cooping; coops

transitive verb

1
: to confine in a restricted and often crowded area
usually used with up
children cooped up in the house all day
2
: to place or keep in a coop : pen
often used with up

Examples of coop in a Sentence

Noun (1) was thrown in the coop for disturbing the peace a chicken coop Verb restless kids cooped up in the house on a rainy day
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Archie's Chick Inn got another shout out in episode eight, when Meghan told farm to table pioneer and With Love guest Alice Waters about her son's chicken coop. Janine Henni, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025 The wholesale price for a dozen Midwest Large eggs has jumped from $1.50 to $7.76 over the past three years because of an avian flu outbreak laying waste to chicken coops nationwide, and Americans everywhere are feeling the strain. The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
Three relative strangers cooped up underground indefinitely to avoid an unseen danger, who don't entirely trust each other? Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 May 2020 There’s something about being cooped up that calls for an abundance of comfort food, and nothing compares to a big bowl of cheesy baked ziti, lemony fusilli, or soupy ramen. Whitney Perry, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2020
Noun
Case in point: a $29.8 million, three-level co-op at a prime Park Avenue address. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2025 Between the lines: Rural electric co-ops are a prime example of how politically fraught this conversation can be. Nick Sobczyk, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for coop

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English cupe; akin to Old English cȳpe basket

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coop was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coop. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

: a cage or small enclosure or building for housing poultry or small animals

coop

2 of 3 verb
: to place or keep in or as if in a coop

co-op

3 of 3 noun
ˈkō-ˌäp,
kō-ˈäp

More from Merriam-Webster on coop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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