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.
Synonyms
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
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
For Burgan and her husband, Matt, moving the menagerie across town involved three months of searching for the right location, planning, relocating and rebuilding enclosures..
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
Over the years, the family has welcomed multiple dogs, as well as a menagerie of other animals including birds, a hamster and even a bearded dragon.
—Erin Clack, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025
Visitors to the Science Museum will be able to see the menagerie’s most famous resident: Louis XV’s rhinoceros, given to the king by a French governor based in India and later dissected and taxidermied upon its death.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
The Eaton fire chased her and her family and menagerie of pets from the home about 3 a.m. Wednesday.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for menagerie 
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Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
Over the years, the family has welcomed multiple dogs, as well as a menagerie of other animals including birds, a hamster and even a bearded dragon.
—Erin Clack, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025
Visitors to the Science Museum will be able to see the menagerie’s most famous resident: Louis XV’s rhinoceros, given to the king by a French governor based in India and later dissected and taxidermied upon its death.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
The Eaton fire chased her and her family and menagerie of pets from the home about 3 a.m. Wednesday.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for menagerie
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Dictionary Entries Near menagerie
Cite this Entry
“Menagerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menagerie. Accessed 9 Feb. 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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