To coop up somebody or something (or to coop somebody or something up) is to keep an animal or person in a small place.
Usually passive.
coop (noun) – a cage or small enclosure for keeping poultry.
Examples of use:
1. Our chickens don’t like being cooped up so we let them out in the garden every morning.
2. They cooped their parrot up in a tiny cage.
3. Her teenage son coops himself up in his room with his computer games.
4. I wish it would stop raining. The children are tired of being cooped up in the house.
5. It’s horrible being cooped up in a tiny office when the sun is shining outside.
6. We can’t keep the dogs cooped up in the house. Can you take them for a walk?
| infinitive |
coop up |
| present simple |
coop up and coops up |
| -ing form |
cooping up |
| past simple |
cooped up |
| past participle |
cooped up |
Can you use this phrasal verb in a sentence?
How do you feel about being cooped up in an office or classroom on a sunny day?
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