cage

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 of cage

• house
• confine
• enclose
• pen

Examples of cage in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Readers, on the other hand, see the socioeconomic barriers and unspoken jealousies that will cage and mold these people for life. —Literary Hub, 8 June 2026

There’s even a rather obvious scene where Semjonova connects with a giraffe caged in a zoo. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 2 June 2026

The type of tomato plant and whether it is supported with staking or caging factors into spacing. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026

As for the camper module exterior, Winnebago cages out the alcove face and lower front sides with thick tubular branch guards, wires in a set of floating front auxiliary lights, adds a swing-away full-size spare carrier in back, and secures on under-body aluminum storage lockers. —C.c. Weiss may 17, New Atlas, 17 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

derivative of cage entry 1

First Known Use

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