1
a
: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition
b
: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition
2
: a varied mixture
a menagerie of comedians—
TV Guide
TV GuideA menagerie of grotesque statues stood in the garden.
Did you know?
Back in the days of Middle French, ménagerie meant "the management of a household or farm" or "a place where animals are tended." When English speakers adopted menagerie in the 1600s, they applied it specifically to places where wild and often also foreign animals were kept and trained for exhibition, as well as to the animals so kept. This second meaning was eventually generalized to refer to any varied mixture, especially one that includes things that are strange or foreign to one's experience.
Examples of menagerie in a Sentence
a menagerie of rare creatures
the living room is eclectically furnished with a menagerie of garage-sale finds
Recent Examples on the Web
Irwin has also made 11 appearances on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, bringing along a menagerie of wild animals to introduce to the viewing audience.
—EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Kong is now the ruler of Hollow Earth, the ancient realm containing a menagerie of weird and wonderful creatures, and his beef with Godzilla is, for now, squashed.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
In an alternative '90s, dark waters from the underground scientific facility have risen to flood the town and deliver a menagerie of natural and unnatural nightmares.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Connecting this menagerie of advertising, digital, PR and social metrics to a singular ROI number is not easy, but then, that’s why smart media agencies exist.
—Ben Kunz, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for menagerie
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EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Kong is now the ruler of Hollow Earth, the ancient realm containing a menagerie of weird and wonderful creatures, and his beef with Godzilla is, for now, squashed.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
In an alternative '90s, dark waters from the underground scientific facility have risen to flood the town and deliver a menagerie of natural and unnatural nightmares.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Connecting this menagerie of advertising, digital, PR and social metrics to a singular ROI number is not easy, but then, that’s why smart media agencies exist.
—Ben Kunz, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for menagerie
Cite this Entry
“Menagerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menagerie. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
menagerie
noun
me·nag·er·ie
mə-ˈnaj-(ə-)rē 
also -ˈnazh-
1
: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition
2
: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition
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