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me·nag·er·ie | \ mə-ˈnaj-rē, -ˈna-jə- 
also -ˈnazh-rē, -ˈna-zhə- \
also -ˈnazh-rē, -ˈna-zhə- \Definition of menagerie
1a : a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition
b : a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition
2 : a varied mixture
a menagerie of comedians — TV Guide A menagerie of grotesque statues stood in the garden.
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Synonyms for menagerie
Synonyms
- agglomerate,
- agglomeration,
- alphabet soup,
- assortment,
- botch,
- clutter,
- collage,
- crazy quilt,
- farrago,
- gallimaufry,
- grab bag,
- gumbo,
- hash,
- hodgepodge,
- hotchpotch,
- jambalaya,
- jumble,
- jungle,
- litter,
- macédoine,
- medley,
- mélange,
- miscellanea,
- miscellany,
- mishmash,
- mixed bag,
- montage,
- motley,
- muddle,
- olio,
- olla podrida,
- omnium-gatherum,
- pastiche,
- patchwork,
- patchwork quilt,
- potpourri,
- ragbag,
- ragout,
- rummage,
- salad,
- salmagundi,
- scramble,
- shuffle,
- smorgasbord,
- stew,
- tumble,
- variety,
- welter
Examples of menagerie in a Sentence
a menagerie of rare creatures
the living room is eclectically furnished with a menagerie of garage-sale finds
Recent Examples on the Web The canine menagerie includes her own dog Chula — a huge but gentle Mastiff mix — and her three current foster dogs, Paddy, Amber and Wilson.
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Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio ‘foster mom’ helps place dogs in new homes as adoptions have increased during the coronavirus pandemic," 26 June 2020 The Saharan dust cloud is a billowing ribbon of life-giving minerals such as iron and phosphorous that fertilize the most biodiverse oases on the planet, including the lush menagerie that is the Amazon rainforest.
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Sabrina Imbler, The Atlantic, "Saharan Dust Storms Are Giving Earth Life," 24 June 2020 Each Thursday, the World Health Organization arranges a video conference of nearly 100 scientists, regulators, and funders who are collectively working with a menagerie of lab animals, including mice, ferrets, and several species of monkeys.
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Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "Mice, hamsters, ferrets, monkeys. Which lab animals can help defeat the new coronavirus?," 13 Apr. 2020 The world’s largest entertainment company hired two writers to pen a screenplay based on the story of a motherless fawn and his menagerie of friends in the forest.
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Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg.com, "Disney Ponders Turning ‘Bambi’ Into Latest Live-Action Remake," 7 Apr. 2020 The Oregon Zoo has added a second beaver to its menagerie, welcoming Maple earlier this month to its facilities in the West Portland hills.
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oregonlive, "Oregon Zoo welcomes new beaver," 27 Mar. 2020 The menagerie of immune cells and proteins that defend the human body have received mounting scrutiny in struggles to ward off COVID-19.
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Esther Landhuis, Scientific American, "‘Spider-Man’ Immune Response May Promote Severe COVID-19," 28 Apr. 2020 While viewers of the Animal Planet show met some of Giese’s menagerie in the first season, Season 2 brings changes.
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oregonlive, "Washington’s Amanda Giese helps more animals in need as ‘Amanda to the Rescue’ begins Season 2," 1 Oct. 2019 Airline efforts to corral the menagerie of animals in airplane cabins have fizzled this summer.
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Scott Mccartney, WSJ, "On U.S. Planes, the Dogs Are Winning," 8 Aug. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'menagerie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for menagerie
menagerie
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of menagerie
: a collection of animals kept especially to be shown to the public
See the full definition for menagerie in the English Language Learners Dictionary
menagerie
nounme·nag·er·ie | \ mə-ˈna-jə-rē \
\Kids Definition of menagerie
: a collection of wild animals kept especially to be shown to the public
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Time Traveler for menagerie
The first known use of menagerie was in 1676
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