ENGLISH
REFERENCE

zoo

n.
US //ˈzu// UK //zˈuː// zoo
  1. 1 animal park (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a park where many kinds of live animals are kept so that people can look at them.

    a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also breed.

    Example

    The children were excited to see the elephants and giraffes at the zoo.

    Example

    Modern zoos often focus on conservation and education rather than mere entertainment, providing habitats that mimic the animals' natural environments.
    • zoological garden
    • wildlife park
  2. 2 chaotic place (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a place that is very crowded, noisy, or disorganized.

    a situation or place characterized by extreme confusion, disorder, or frantic activity.

    Example

    The airport was a total zoo because of the flight delays.

    Example

    With three different projects reaching their deadlines simultaneously, the office has turned into a complete zoo this week.

    Usage

    Often used with the definite article 'a' in the phrase 'it's a zoo'.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a very common idiomatic way to complain about a busy office or a crowded shop.
  3. 3 varied collection (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    a large and diverse group of different things.

    a diverse or heterogeneous collection of items, often implying a lack of systematic organization.

    Example

    His desk was covered in a zoo of old cables, broken pens, and coffee cups.

    Example

    The software architecture had become a zoo of incompatible protocols and legacy code that no single developer fully understood.
Origin

Clipping of zoological garden or zoological park, now the usual form. See zoology. Sense 5 is a clipping of zoophile or zoophilia.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 19, 2026