plural coops
1
: a cage or small enclosure (as for chickens, ducks, or other fowl)
also
: a small building for housing poultry see also chicken coop
2
a
: a confined area
b
: jail
cooped; cooping; coops
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
Synonyms of coop
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Noun (1)
Verb
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
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
The chicken coop at Bloom Ranch.
—Martine Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
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
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The program, which began accepting applications in February, offers homeschool families $2,000 per student to pay for expenses such as curriculum purchases, instructional materials and homeschool co-op tuition.
—Silas Allen, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coop
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Noun
Sort your laundry — but not by color The once cardinal rule of separating darks from whites before washing them has flown the coop.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
The chicken coop at Bloom Ranch.
—Martine Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
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 engineering program at the University of Waterloo, where the Canadian pursued her degree, features a co-op program that allows students to alternate between months at school and several months dedicated to an internship.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The program, which began accepting applications in February, offers homeschool families $2,000 per student to pay for expenses such as curriculum purchases, instructional materials and homeschool co-op tuition.
—Silas Allen, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coop
Cite this Entry
“Coop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coop. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coop
2 of 3 verb
: to place or keep in or as if in a coop
co-op
3 of 3 nounˈkō-ˌäp,
kō-ˈäp
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