zoo
gb/zˈu/ us/zˈu/
A1
English
~ 5600
állatkert, bolondokháza, káosz, tárház, gyűjtemény
NOUN
A1
1
állatkert
A1
Usage pattern:
[someone] goes to the zoo
We took the kids to the zoo on Saturday.
Szombaton elvittük a gyerekeket az állatkertbe.
The city zoo has a new panda exhibit.
A városi állatkertben új pandakifutó nyílt.
She volunteers at the zoo on weekends, helping to feed the animals.
This zoo focuses on protecting endangered species from around the world.
They spent the whole day at the zoo, even though it rained.
Learner examples
We go to the zoo every summer.
Minden nyáron elmegyünk az állatkertbe.
There are lions and tigers at the zoo.
Az állatkertben oroszlánok és tigrisek vannak.
My brother works at the zoo.
The zoo is very big and has many animals.
I want to see the elephants at the zoo.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"go to zoo"* instead of *"go to the zoo"*. In English, we normally use *the* before *zoo* in this meaning ("We went to the zoo yesterday"). Some learners also confuse *zoo* with *farm* (a farm is for animals that people use for food or work, not for showing to visitors).
Meaning
place to see captive animals
Collocations
go to the zoo
|visit the zoo
|city zoo
|zoo animals
|zoo keeper
|zoo enclosure
Synonyms
animal park (Very close in meaning, but used less often in everyday speech.)
|
zoological garden (More formal and technical; used in official names of zoos.)
Antonyms
wilderness (Animals live freely in the wilderness, not kept in enclosures and shown to visitors like in a zoo.)
Themes
animals
|leisure
|places
|education
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A place where people can go to see many different animals kept in cages or special areas.
A place where live wild animals are kept in special areas and displayed to the public for education, conservation, and entertainment.
NOUN
B1
INFORMAL
2
bolondokháza
B2
káosz
B1
Usage pattern:
[a place] is a zoo
The supermarket was a real zoo the day before the holiday.
Az ünnep előtti napon valóságos bolondokháza volt a szupermarketben.
My classroom is a zoo whenever the substitute teacher comes.
Amikor helyettes tanár jön, kész bolondokháza van az osztályomban.
The airport was a zoo this morning with all the flight delays.
It's a zoo in here tonight; I can barely hear myself think.
The office turns into a zoo whenever there's a big deadline.
Learner examples
The shopping mall was a zoo on Saturday.
Szombaton kész bolondokháza volt a bevásárlóközpontban.
The party became a zoo after midnight.
Éjfél után teljes káosz lett a buliból.
It is a zoo in the cafeteria at lunchtime.
Our house is a zoo when all my cousins visit.
The train station is a zoo in the morning.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this always means there are animals. In this informal meaning, *zoo* does NOT mean there are real animals; it only means the place is very noisy and crowded. Also, it is normally used for places ("The store was a zoo"), not people (we do not say *"He is a zoo"*).
Meaning
noisy, crowded, chaotic place
Collocations
it's a zoo
|like a zoo
|this place is a zoo
|the office was a zoo
|the mall is a zoo
Synonyms
madhouse (Informal and stronger; can sound more negative or emotional than calling a place a "zoo".)
|
chaos (More general word for complete disorder; does not carry the playful or humorous tone that "zoo" sometimes has.)
Antonyms
oasis of calm (Describes a place that is very peaceful and quiet, the opposite of a noisy, crowded "zoo".)
Themes
daily life
|emotions
|daily_life
Definition
A place or situation that is very noisy, very full of people, and not calm or organized.
A situation or place that is extremely noisy, crowded, and disorganized, often in a way that feels stressful.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
3
tárház
C1
gyűjtemény
B1
Usage pattern:
a zoo of [things]
The software library includes a whole zoo of machine-learning models.
A szoftverkönyvtár gépi tanulási modellek egész tárházát tartalmazza.
Researchers tested their algorithm on a zoo of benchmark datasets.
A kutatók referencia-adatkészletek változatos gyűjteményén tesztelték az algoritmusukat.
Modern web development involves dealing with a zoo of different browsers and devices.
Learner examples
The lab used a zoo of different tools for the project.
A labor a projekthez különféle eszközök egész tárházát használta.
The team worked with a zoo of data sets from many countries.
A csapat sok országból származó adatkészletek változatos gyűjteményével dolgozott.
Programmers sometimes talk about a zoo of models in a library.
Common mistake:
This sense is specialized and not common in everyday speech. Learners may incorrectly assume animals are involved; in technical writing, it simply means a large and varied group of related items.
Meaning
large varied collection of things
Collocations
a zoo of models
|model zoo
|dataset zoo
|a whole zoo of options
Synonyms
collection (More general and neutral; does not suggest the items are very many and varied in a slightly chaotic way.)
Antonyms
standard set (Suggests a small, controlled, and uniform group, not a large varied "zoo" of items.)
Themes
technology
|science
Definition
A word used in technical fields to mean a big, mixed group of many different but related things.
A large and varied collection of many different but related items, especially in technical fields such as computing or science.
Grammar
Dictionary form
zoo
IPA
GB/zˈu/
US/zˈu/
Syllables & stress
zoo (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (zoo)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: zoo
- Plural: zoos
Word family
Expressions
it's a zoo
1/ˈɪts ə zˈu/
idiom
informal
this place is extremely chaotic
Used to say that a place or situation is very noisy, very full of people, and not calm or organized at all.
Examples
- It's a zoo in here tonight; let's come back later.
- The kids are all running around—it's a zoo at our house right now.
- The train station is a zoo this morning because of the snowstorm.
like a zoo
1/lˈaɪk ə zˈu/
idiom
informal
very noisy and crowded place
Used after a place name to say that the place is very noisy, very crowded, and not calm or organized.
Examples
- The supermarket was like a zoo before the storm.
- The office is like a zoo whenever the boss is away.
- The beach was like a zoo last weekend with all the tourists.