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Glite Dictionary
holding pen

holding pen

2 3.1
A small fenced area where farmers keep animals before moving them
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊldɪŋ pɛn/
translation icon : corral
  • The room has a holding pen opposite the door.
  • holding pen for animals

Examples

  • This place is a glorified holding pen.

    Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

  • Zoos take the nature that already exists and modify it very slightly to create holding pens for animals.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Heading into the holding pen.

    Jurassic City (2015)

  • The image it shows is of the completely empty holding pen.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I went to the holding pen first, then out on bail, and then back in court.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • It is some kind of holding pen for something very dangerous.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Many herd management areas have been closed, and there are more mustangs held in long-term holding pens than in the wild.

    Blog text (26)

  • There, the lobsters go into holding pens while they await transport by a packing vessel to the processing plant.

    Academic text (1997)

  • All night I had sat in my security guard's glass booth listening to the hogs keening in the holding pens.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Trucks bring sheep to a holding pen where they will stay until they are sorted for sale.

Synonyms

pen
vsholding pen
63 3.5

A small area for keeping animals like pigs or chickens

is chiefly about temporary holding before movement or processing specifically
corral
vsholding pen
  • US
30 5.3

An enclosure for keeping farm animals like cattle or horses

is more general about temporary holding before movement or processing
stockyard
vsholding pen
  • US
6 6.3

A fenced area where people keep animals like cows and sheep before transport or slaughter

focuses on temporary holding before movement or processing in general
holding yard
vsholding pen
1 5.1

A fenced area where animals like sheep wait briefly before someone moves them

is the same concept but often used as a different phrase
holding paddock
vsholding pen
  • UK
5.8

An enclosed area where farmers keep animals for a short time before moving them

is used broadly for temporary holding before movement or processing
lairage
vsholding pen
  • UK
9.9

A place where animals wait before being killed or moved

is broader covering temporary holding for many processing or movement purposes
catch pen
vsholding pen
  • Specialized
6.3

A small fenced area that holds animals like sheep or cattle for a short time

is used for general temporary holding before movement or processing instead
catching pen
vsholding pen
  • Jargon
5.5

A small fenced area for holding animals briefly to sort or check them

focuses on broader temporary holding rather than specific handling tasks

Antonyms

pasture land
2 2.6

Land with grass where farm animals eat

How Big

stockyard
  • US
6 6.3
holding pen
2 3.1
corral
  • US
30 5.3
pen
63 3.5
to stall
5 4.8

Surface Forms

holding pen singular
holding pens plural

Morphology

hold + pen

The meaning 'an enclosure used to keep livestock temporarily' is directly derivable from combining 'holding' (present participle of 'hold', meaning to restrain or keep) with 'pen' (an enclosure). This is a productive, compositional noun-modifier pattern common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrase holding pen comes from farms and animal markets: a pen is a small fenced area and holding means keeping animals there for a short time while they waited to be moved or sold. So holding pen means a 'waiting area' where animals are 'kept for a short time'.