1
: a box or enclosure having some openwork for confining or carrying animals (such as birds)
2
a
: a barred cell for confining prisoners
b
: a fenced area for prisoners of war
3
: a framework serving as support
the steel cage of a skyscraper
4
a
: an enclosure resembling a cage in form or purpose
a cashier's cage
b
: an arrangement of atoms or molecules so bonded as to enclose a space in which another atom or ion (as of a metal) can reside
5
a
b
: a goal consisting of posts or a frame with a net attached (as in ice hockey)
6
: a large building containing an area for practicing outdoor sports and often adapted for indoor events
caged; caging
1
: to confine or keep in or as if in a cage
2
: to drive (a puck, a shot, etc.) into a cage and score a goal
Synonyms
Examples of cage in a Sentence
Noun
the dogs and cats at the animal shelter looked so sad in their cages
Verb
caged the rabbit at night so she wouldn't wake everyone up
Recent Examples on the Web
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2025
The car is built for safety and lightness too, with a full carbon fiber tub, and its appearance is similar to the standard Mach-E, albeit with some bold changes, such as an internal cage structure and a substantial rear wing.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 1 Feb. 2025
Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025
One clip sees McNamara at a ranch, helping to cage everything from chickens to peacocks so the animals can be brought to safety.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cage 
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Noun
But when Shesterkin was pulled for the extra skater, Pastrnak completed the hat trick, taking a feed from Geekie and putting No. 27 in the open cage with 3:22 left.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2025
The car is built for safety and lightness too, with a full carbon fiber tub, and its appearance is similar to the standard Mach-E, albeit with some bold changes, such as an internal cage structure and a substantial rear wing.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 1 Feb. 2025
Verb
This is Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place where the Nazis treated people like animals caged in by electrified barbed wire, where prisoners died slowly by a combination of slave labor, human experimentation, starvation and disease.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025
One clip sees McNamara at a ranch, helping to cage everything from chickens to peacocks so the animals can be brought to safety.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cage
Articles Related to cage
Dictionary Entries Near cage
Cite this Entry
“Cage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cage. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cage
1 of 2 noun1
: an enclosure that has large openings covered usually with wire net or bars and is used for keeping animals or birds
2
: an enclosure like a cage in form or purpose
cageful
noun
cage
2 of 2 verb
caged; caging
: to put or keep in or as if in a cage
Medical Definition
cage
noun
: an arrangement of atoms or molecules so bonded as to enclose a space in which another atom or ion (as of a metal) can reside
Biographical Definition
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