Is the word cages a collective noun?

Yes, "cages" can be considered a collective noun when referring to a group of cages.

Here's why:

* Collective nouns represent a group of things. "Cages" can refer to multiple individual cages, making it a collection.

* They can be singular or plural. You can say "the cages are empty" (plural) or "the cages are in the back room" (singular, referring to the group as a whole).

However, it's important to note that "cages" is not *always* a collective noun. If you are talking about individual cages, it's simply a plural noun.

For example:

* Collective noun: "The cages were all locked." (Refers to a group of cages)

* Plural noun: "There were five cages in the animal shelter." (Refers to individual cages)