Smithsonian Institution

American  

[smith-soh-nee-uhn] / smɪθˈsoʊ ni ən /

noun

1. an institution in Washington, D.C., founded 1846 with a grant left by James Smithson, for the increase and diffusion of knowledge: U.S. national museum and repository.

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Smithsonian Institution British  

/ smɪθˈsəʊnɪən /

noun

1. a national museum and institution in Washington, D.C., founded in 1846 from a bequest by James Smithson, primarily concerned with ethnology, zoology, and astrophysics

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Smithsonian Institution Cultural  

1. A group of over a dozen museums and research and publication facilities, such as the National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of History and Technology, the National Zoo, and the National Gallery of Art. Many of the Smithsonian's buildings are on the Washington Mall. The institution is named after James Smithson, an Englishman whose bequest enabled its founding in the nineteenth century.

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Example Sentences

That's the question the government-funded Smithsonian Institution posed itself as the United States gears up for the anniversary of the nation's July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Dr. Emily Milton, a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., said combining multiple research approaches was key to understanding the practice.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

In 1886 an American naval ship brought statues, wooden carvings, feather headdresses and stone tools to the Smithsonian Institution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Washington DC's famous Smithsonian Institution museums will stay open until at least next Monday, 6 October.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2025

James Mooney, a distinguished ethnographer at the Smithsonian Institution, combed through colonial writings and government documents to conclude that in 1491 North America had 1.15 million inhabitants.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann