Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fly the coop

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.39 in modern English

Syllables: fly- the -coop
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To depart hastily or unannounced; to escape or flee.

verb

To escape from a pen or similar enclosure.

Example Sentences

"Not liking the accommodations, I took the first chance and flew the coop."
"By the time the disk was out, most of Smith had apparently flown the coop; only Gayle and Jerry remained"
"I think even Ruth looked over there when she was thinking about flying the coop."
"Explained a Curtiz assistant: "We had three ravens in Assisi; one died of cold, and another flew the coop.""

Etymology

From fly, to flee or run away, + coop, an enclosure for birds.

Inflected Forms

flies the coop (present, singular) flying the coop (participle, present) flew the coop (past) flown the coop (participle, past)

Phrases

fly the nest

Frequently Paired Words

fly the nest

Synonyms

scat run scarper turn tail lam run away hightail it bunk head for the hills take to the woods escape break away

Questions

What does fly the coop mean?: To depart hastily or unannounced; to escape or flee.
Where does fly the coop come from?: From fly, to flee or run away, + coop, an enclosure for birds.

How to pronounce fly the coop

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