plural zoos
1
: a facility with usually indoor and outdoor settings where living, typically wild animals are kept especially for public exhibition
called also zoological garden, zoological park
2
: a place, situation, or group marked by crowding, confusion, or unrestrained behavior
The convention was a zoo.
variants
or before a vowel zo-
1
: animal : animal kingdom or kind
zooid
zoology
2
: motile
zoospore
Examples of zoo in a Sentence
Noun
The sixth grade classroom was a zoo after recess.
The supermarket was a real zoo on the night before the storm.
Recent Examples on the Web
Allison Moses, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Christopher Clark reports from France where, only 30 years ago, members of an African music troupe were exhibited at a zoo, alongside animals, and asked to perform for visitors.
—The Dial, 6 May 2025
All the zoo's energy comes from renewable sources, and managers are working to phase out gas usage.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
That is followed by a pie chart, showing 65 percent of children chose the theme park, and an equal amount chose the zoo and the theater.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zoo
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
According to the zoo, the good-natured gorillas often run backwards, play in water, or slide down wet hillsides.
—Allison Moses, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Christopher Clark reports from France where, only 30 years ago, members of an African music troupe were exhibited at a zoo, alongside animals, and asked to perform for visitors.
—The Dial, 6 May 2025
All the zoo's energy comes from renewable sources, and managers are working to phase out gas usage.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
That is followed by a pie chart, showing 65 percent of children chose the theme park, and an equal amount chose the zoo and the theater.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zoo
Cite this Entry
“Zoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoo. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
zoo
noun
plural zoos
: a garden or park where living usually wild animals are kept for showing to the public
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