The Collaborative International Dictionary
Coop \Coop\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cooped; p. pr. & vb. n. Cooping.] To confine in a coop; hence, to shut up or confine in a narrow compass; to cramp; -- usually followed by up, sometimes by in.
The Trojans cooped within their walls so long.
--Dryden.
The contempt of all other knowledge . . . coops the
understanding up within narrow bounds.
--Locke.
2. To work upon in the manner of a cooper. [Obs.] ``Shaken
tubs . . . be new cooped.''
--Holland.
Syn: To crowd; confine; imprison.
Wiktionary
n. The practice of forcing unwilling participants to vote, often several times over, for a particular candidate in an election. vb. (present participle of coop English)
Wikipedia
Cooping was a form of electoral fraud in the United States during the 19th century by which unwilling participants were forced to vote, often several times over, for a particular candidate in an election. Generally these innocent bystanders would be grabbed off the street by so-called 'cooping gangs' or 'election gangs' working on the payroll of a political candidate, and they would be kept in a room, called the "coop", and given alcoholic beverages in order for them to comply. If they refused to cooperate, they would be beaten or even killed. Often their clothing would be changed to allow them to vote multiple times. Sometimes the victims would be forced to wear disguises such as wigs, fake beards or mustaches to prevent them from being recognized by voting officials at polling stations.
Edgar Allan Poe is thought by some to have been the victim of cooping before his mysterious death in early October 1849.
Usage examples of "cooping".
After having received the compliments of the jailer on his recommitment, he took pen, ink, and paper, and composed an artful and affecting epistle to the empiric, imploring his mercy, flattering his weakness, and demonstrating the bad policy of cooping up an unhappy man in a jail, where he could never have an opportunity of doing justice to his creditors.
He knew the hospital layout intimately, knew where to park and where the few graveyard-shift personnel could be expected to be cooping and where spare uniforms could be had.