zoo

1 of 2

noun

ˈzü 

plural zoos

1

: a facility with usually indoor and outdoor settings where living, typically wild animals are kept especially for public exhibition

called also zoological garden, zoological park

2

: a place, situation, or group marked by crowding, confusion, or unrestrained behavior

The convention was a zoo.

zoo-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or before a vowel zo-

1

: animal : animal kingdom or kind

zooid

zoology

2

: motile

zoospore

Synonyms

Noun

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw

Examples of zoo in a Sentence

Noun

The sixth grade classroom was a zoo after recess.

The supermarket was a real zoo on the night before the storm.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An investigation into why the zoo did not have the proper permit to bring the missing alligator into the school is still active. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2024

There are now 71 François’ langurs in zoos across the United States. —Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 22 May 2024

The animals are most nocturnal during the warm summer months, according to experts, and the babies are living in the zoo’s nocturnal house. —Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 20 May 2024

The zoo released its sustainability plan, also developed by Lorax, last year, and has taken several eco-friendly steps recently, said its president and CEO, Kirby Fowler, including transitioning its shuttles to electric power, and composting animal manure that had been incinerated. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024

According to the zoo's announcement, that's because Baird's tapirs are typically solitary. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2024

May 8, 2024 The storied home in London's Belgravia neighborhood was built in 1838 and was once owned by gambling impresario and zoo owner John Aspinall. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 8 May 2024

Then the chicks will be ready to live with the colony and make their zoo debut in the habitat. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 15 May 2024

The 40-acre Wisconsin Deer Park features a petting zoo with deer, elk, and bison. —Lindsay Cohn, Parents, 13 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for zoological garden

Combining form

borrowed from Greek zōo-, zōio-, combining form from zôion "animal," derivative from the base of zṓō, zṓein (Homeric), zô, zên (Attic) "to be alive, live," going back to Indo-European *g^wi̯éh₃-(u)- "live" (whence also Tocharian B śāyau "[I] live"), full grade of a stem attested elsewhere with zero grade as *g^wih₃-u-, whence Latin vīvō, vīvere "to live," Old Church Slavic živǫ, žiti, Old Prussian giwa "(s/he) lives," Latvian dzīvu "(I) live," Sanskrit jīvati "(s/he) lives," Avestan juuaiti

Note: See also bio-, quick entry 1.

First Known Use

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing zoo

• petting zoo

Kids Definition

zoo

noun

ˈzü 

plural zoos

: a garden or park where living usually wild animals are kept for showing to the public