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
The new hardware joins Cardi’s menagerie of other body modifications, including a throat piercing, as well as metal in her eyebrows, lips, hips and belly button.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2025
Since then, the House of Harlow founder has established a downright wholesome cottagecore-style home life for herself, raising a menagerie of pets, gardening, beekeeping, and harvesting eggs from her backyard chicken coop.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
Wolf, now seventy-nine, was at a table up front, presiding over a menagerie of mugs, empty and full, of ale light and dark.
—Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Even with their disappointing stats and a menagerie of wideouts, Buffalo finished second in scoring, sixth in yards per play, 11th in yards per carry, ninth in yards per pass attempt and sixth in first downs.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
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Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2025
Since then, the House of Harlow founder has established a downright wholesome cottagecore-style home life for herself, raising a menagerie of pets, gardening, beekeeping, and harvesting eggs from her backyard chicken coop.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
Wolf, now seventy-nine, was at a table up front, presiding over a menagerie of mugs, empty and full, of ale light and dark.
—Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Even with their disappointing stats and a menagerie of wideouts, Buffalo finished second in scoring, sixth in yards per play, 11th in yards per carry, ninth in yards per pass attempt and sixth in first downs.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 27 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 22 Apr. 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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