cage

1 of 2

noun

ˈkāj 

1

: a box or enclosure having some openwork for confining or carrying animals (such as birds)

2

a

: a barred cell for confining prisoners

b

: a fenced area for prisoners of war

3

: a framework serving as support

the steel cage of a skyscraper

4

a

: an enclosure resembling a cage in form or purpose

a cashier's cage

b

: an arrangement of atoms or molecules so bonded as to enclose a space in which another atom or ion (as of a metal) can reside

5

a

: batting cage

b

: a goal consisting of posts or a frame with a net attached (as in ice hockey)

6

: a large building containing an area for practicing outdoor sports and often adapted for indoor events

cageful

ˈkāj-ˌfu̇l 

noun

cage

2 of 2

verb

caged; caging

transitive verb

1

: to confine or keep in or as if in a cage

2

: to drive (a puck, a shot, etc.) into a cage and score a goal

Synonyms

Noun

• coop
• pound
• corral
• kennel
• pen

Verb

• house
• confine
• enclose

Examples of cage in a Sentence

Noun

the dogs and cats at the animal shelter looked so sad in their cages

Verb

caged the rabbit at night so she wouldn't wake everyone up

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The bottles are dipped in an ice bath, then passed through a machine that removes the sediment and reseals them with a cork and wire cage. —Rachel King, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Protect seeds from squirrels and other critters by covering the containers or planting bed with a wire cage or hardware cloth, extending the cage several inches into the soil. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 28 June 2025

Verb

There’s a metaphor, we’re all caged birds in this world where we’re born into families. —Lauren Coates, Variety, 16 May 2025

Their ingenuity is often caged or marginalized if operating in a context with a focus on managing a structure (reporting relationships, communication channels, procedures, and systems) with only limited attention to culture. —Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin cavea "enclosure for poultry, cage, auditorium of a theater," of uncertain origin

Note: Latin cavea is usually taken to be a noun derivative of an unattested adjective *caveus, from cavus "hollow, concave" (see cave entry 1, hole entry 1), the sense "something hollow, cavity" being extended to "enclosed space" and then "enclosure"; however, -eus is normally a denominal suffix meaning "made of" (see -eous), so that the resulting sense of the derivative is not clear. Perhaps of relevance is the suffix of alveus "trough, hull, channel" (see alveolus).

Verb

derivative of cage entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cage

• batting cage
• rattle someone's cage
• rib cage
• roll cage
• squirrel cage

Rhymes for cage

• age
• gauge
• phage
• plage
• rage
• stage
• wage
• alienage
• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• downstage

Kids Definition

cage

1 of 2 noun

ˈkāj 

1

: an enclosure that has large openings covered usually with wire net or bars and is used for keeping animals or birds

2

: an enclosure like a cage in form or purpose

cageful noun

cage

2 of 2 verb

caged; caging

: to put or keep in or as if in a cage

Medical Definition

cage

noun

ˈkāj 

: an arrangement of atoms or molecules so bonded as to enclose a space in which another atom or ion (as of a metal) can reside

Biographical Definition

Cage

biographical name

ˈkāj 

John Milton 1912–1992 American composer