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

co-op

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈkō-ˌäp How to pronounce co-op (audio)
kō-ˈäp

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
The property includes a barn, silos, a shed and a chicken coop. Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 13 Oct. 2025 The first Dutch original film on Disney+, The Balloonist shows what happens when young chicken farmer Gaby's predictable life is upended by a hot air balloon crashing into her coop. PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
Instead of battling for an all-star berth in his final Little League season or attending Don Mattingly Bobblehead Night at Yankee Stadium, he’s been forced to spend the spring cooped up in a neighborhood where ambulance sirens have wailed nonstop. Brendan I. Koerner, Wired, 19 May 2020 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
Noun
The first two games weren’t co-op. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025 The enclave is famous for its grand prewar co-ops and mansions commissioned by Gilded Age families such as the Rockefellers and Astors. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

coop

1 of 3 noun
: 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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