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playpen

playpen

15 1.2
A small fenced area where a baby or young child can play safely
  • noun
  • /ˈpleɪˌpɛn/
translation icon : parque para bebés
  • We set up the playpen in the living room so the baby could play safely.
  • playpen for baby
  • crib or playpen
  • toys in a playpen

The owners even built a playpen for the snot monsters.

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Examples

  • There is an empty playpen in front of the television.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Mommy left the baby in his playpen, clean and dry but without diapers.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • So this is not a playpen for the baby.

  • My dad used it to line my playpen all the time.

  • Go back to your playpen, Baby.

  • Just use it as a playpen.

  • Do you want a large playpen, Nala?

  • Soledad came out of the bedroom, pulling along the playpen with the crying baby.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Left alone in his playpen, Leigh cries, and I lift him out and sit down on the sofa.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Pearl was beside me in her playpen, sitting comfortably and coloring with her crayons.

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

pen
vsplaypen
4 2.8

A small area with sides that keep babies safe while they play

is the common name for the same portable enclosure

How Enclosed

crib
  • US
98 1.0
playpen
15 1.2
playing area
1 1.8

Surface Forms

playpen singular
playpens plural

Morphology

playpen = play + pen (transparent) = play + pen

The meaning is directly derived from 'play' + 'pen' as an enclosure for playing, which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Playpen comes from the two simple words play and pen, and pen means 'enclosure', like a place for animals such as a 'pig pen'. So a playpen is a small, safe 'enclosure' where a baby or young child can play.