# zoo

/ˈzu/ (US) · /zˈuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/zoo
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. animal park

noun · CEFR A1

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

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

- The children were excited to see the elephants and giraffes at the zoo.
- Modern zoos often focus on conservation and education rather than mere entertainment, providing habitats that mimic the animals' natural environments.

### 2. chaotic place

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

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

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

Teaching tip: This is a very common idiomatic way to complain about a busy office or a crowded shop.

### 3. varied collection

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a large and diverse group of different things.

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

- His desk was covered in a zoo of old cables, broken pens, and coffee cups.
- The software architecture had become a zoo of incompatible protocols and legacy code that no single developer fully understood.

## Examples

- We saw lions and tigers at the zoo yesterday.
- The local zoo is famous for its successful panda breeding program and large open-air enclosures.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.