coop

n. a small cage or building where chickens or other birds are kept.

n. a small enclosure or pen for poultry or other small animals.

“Every morning, the farmer opens the coop to let the chickens out into the field.”

“The wooden coop was reinforced with wire mesh to protect the hens from foxes during the night.”

n. a slang word for a prison or a very small, uncomfortable room.

n. a slang term for a place of confinement, such as a jail or a cramped room.

“He spent two nights in the coop before the lawyer arrived to help him.”

“After years of living in a spacious house, he felt like he was stuck in a coop in that tiny city apartment.”

Slang · Informal

n. a business or shop owned and run by its members.

n. a common informal clipping of 'co-operative', referring to a member-owned organisation or housing complex.

“We buy all our fresh vegetables from the local food coop.”

“The residents of the housing coop voted unanimously to renovate the shared garden space this spring.”

Informal

v. to keep a person or animal in a small space for a long time.

v. to confine or shut up in a restricted space; most frequently encountered in the phrasal verb 'coop up'.

“The children were cooped up inside all day because of the heavy rain.”

“Being cooped up in a small office for ten hours a day began to affect his mental well-being.”