What does "zoo" mean?
A park where live animals are exhibited.
Zoo
/zuː/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A park where live animals are exhibited.
- Grammar: zoo is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: menagerie, zoological garden, ana, animal park.
- Useful contrasts: natural habitat, nonzoo, order.
- Usage evidence: Can you tell me where the nearest zoo is?
How to use "zoo"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "zoo" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "zoo" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "zoo" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "zoo" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "zoo" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "menagerie" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "zoo", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A park where live animals are exhibited. countable
"The London Zoo was built in 1828."
- 2 the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition wordnet
- 3 Any place that is wild, crowded, or chaotic. countable, figuratively, informal
"The shopping center was a zoo the week before Christmas."
- 4 A large and varied collection of something. countable, figuratively, informal
"After his insightful book The Art of Alfred Hitchcock, Spoto published The Dark Side of Genius, a portrayal of the elderly director as a lonely man who was a veritable zoo of desires, suspicions, fears, and addictions (food, drink, romantic infatuation, and filmmaking)."
- 5 The jungle. US, countable, slang
"I'm not all that unhappy about being out on an actual patrol, but there's a worried feeling wandering around the back of my mind, not exactly fear, more like a sort of lurking anxiety at being out in the dreaded jungle, the zoo, where the enemy hides."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Clipping of zoophile. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, informal
"Zoophiles, or 'zoos,' are sexually and emotionally attracted to animals, as in a sexual orientation."
- 7 Clipping of zoophile.; Pornographic material depicting actual animals or bestiality. broadly, informal, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Can you tell me where the nearest zoo is?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "zoo"?
Common synonyms include: menagerie, zoological garden, ana, animal park, anthology, aquarium.
How do you use "zoo" in a sentence?
Can you tell me where the nearest zoo is?
How do you pronounce "zoo"?
Pronounced /zuː/.
Etymology
Clipping of zoological garden or zoological park, now the usual form. See zoology. Sense 5 is a clipping of zoophile or zoophilia.