Definition

To put someone or something into a cage, restricting their movement or freedom.

Example

The zookeeper had to encage the injured bird to keep it safe.

Tense Forms

Conversation

Have you ever felt like society tries to encage us with its rules?

Totally! Sometimes it feels suffocating, right?

Yeah, like we have to fit into certain expectations.

Exactly, breaking free from those norms can be so liberating!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Encage → It is formed from "en-" (meaning to cause to be in) and "cage" (from Old French *cage*, meaning a structure for confining animals). The word "encage" means to cause something to be in a cage or to confine it within a cage.

Memory Tip

Think of 'causing to be in' ('en-') a 'structure for confining' ('cage') — that's why encage means to put something into a cage.

Visually Confused Words