✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

chicken wire

noun

: a light galvanized wire netting of hexagonal mesh

Examples of chicken wire in a Sentence

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.
Young rabbits can also squeeze through the holes in chicken wire. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025 The vines are enclosed in chicken wire to no avail. Joan Morris, Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2025 To deter digging pests, gardeners can use chicken wire, plant more bulbs than needed, or choose larger bulbs like daffodils. Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Oct. 2025 Use barriers such as chicken wire over the soil to deter digging. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chicken wire

Word History

Etymology

from its use for making enclosures for chickens

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chicken wire was in 1887

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chicken wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken%20wire. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

chicken wire

noun
: a light wire fencing with hexagonal openings
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!