zoo

1 of 2

noun

ˈzü How to pronounce zoo (audio)
plural zoos
Synonyms of zoo
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.

zoo-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or before a vowel zo-
1
: animal : animal kingdom or kind
zooid
zoology
2
: motile
zoospore

Synonyms of zoo

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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Noun
An 8-year-old girl has been hospitalized after sustaining serious injuries in a wolf attack inside a German zoo’s enclosure. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026 The surrogate bighorn ewes, most of which Schubarth bought from zoos in Canada and Colorado, were selected for their ability to carry the hybrid lamb. — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2026 An African elephant calf weighs around 200 to 250 pounds at birth, the zoo said. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026 The zoo is closed until further notice as an investigation takes place. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for zoo

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for zoological garden

Combining form

borrowed from Greek zōo-, zōio-, combining form from zôion "animal," derivative from the base of zṓō, zṓein (Homeric), zô, zên (Attic) "to be alive, live," going back to Indo-European *gwi̯éh3-(u)- "live" (whence also Tocharian B śāyau "[I] live"), full grade of a stem attested elsewhere with zero grade as *gwih3-u-, whence Latin vīvō, vīvere "to live," Old Church Slavic živǫ, žiti, Old Prussian giwa "(s/he) lives," Latvian dzīvu "(I) live," Sanskrit jīvati "(s/he) lives," Avestan juuaiti

Note: See also bio-, quick entry 1.

First Known Use

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of zoo was in 1835

Phrases Containing zoo

Rhymes for zoo

See All Rhymes for zoo

Browse Nearby Words

Zonuridae
zoo
zoo-
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoo. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

zoo

noun
ˈzü How to pronounce zoo (audio)
plural zoos
: a garden or park where living usually wild animals are kept for showing to the public

More from Merriam-Webster on zoo

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about zoo

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