birdcage

American  

[burd-keyj] / ˈbɜrdˌkeɪdʒ /

noun

1. a cage for confining birds.

2. something that resembles a birdcage in form.

3. Slang. the airspace over an airport, together with the airplanes in it.

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birdcage British  

/ ˈbɜːdˌkeɪdʒ /

noun

1. a wire or wicker cage in which captive birds are kept

2. any object of a similar shape, construction, or purpose

3. an area on a racecourse where horses parade before a race

4. informal a second-hand car dealer's yard

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Etymology

Origin of birdcage

First recorded in 1480–90; bird ( def. ) + cage ( def. )

Example Sentences

At one point, a dancer contorts herself as she carries Particle, tucked in a birdcage, across a room.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2024

In a rather tragic detail that feels straight out of a fable, Tiny Pinocchio was kept in a decorative metal birdcage when people visited the house to prevent him from accidentally getting squished.

From Slate • Jul. 15, 2023

The last step was layering, like distributing smaller items like old trophies, board games or magazines, and putting a birdcage — a perfect metaphor — in a central location.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 7, 2022

There’s a wooden birdcage with chicken figurines, an ode to where he came from, and the evolution of his ambition.

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2020

An old Chinese birdcage, broken down into a web of arched wires, had become an eagle, its brassy skeletal wings spread as if about to take flight.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng