aquarium
Americannoun
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a glass-sided tank, bowl, or the like, in which fish or other living aquatic animals or plants are kept.
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a building or institution in which fish or other aquatic animals or plants are kept for exhibit, study, etc.
noun
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a tank, bowl, or pool in which aquatic animals and plants are kept for pleasure, study, or exhibition
-
a building housing a collection of aquatic life, as for exhibition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aquarium
1840–50; blend of Latin aquārius of or for water ( aqu ( a ) water + -ārius -ary ) and vivarium; cf. -arium
Explanation
Aquarium can either describe a small tank, or an entire building that houses fish and other aquatic life. Your goldfish will probably feel right at home in the aquarium that's sitting on your desk, but a whale would be better off in a big aquarium where people buy tickets to see marine life. An aquarium can be small enough to fit in the average house, or big enough to house whales and accommodate millions of tourists each year. If you're talking about more than one of those tanks filled with fish and other marine life, you could say aquariums, but aquaria, from the original Latin term, is also an acceptable plural.
Vocabulary lists containing aquarium
Elements of the Universe: Aqua ("Water")
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"Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100" by Martin Espada
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aqua and hydr
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Our vet staff is using some really amazing therapies to help her with that healing,” said Cassandra Davis, director of volunteer services for the aquarium.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
She spends her nights cleaning the local aquarium, where she befriends a Pacific octopus named Marcellus.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
BZS are also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the island's aquarium museum, for which the King stopped by to cut the cake.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems, eating sea urchins that would otherwise consume the kelp, according to the aquarium.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
“My friend Jason has a giant aquarium in his living room, and he didn’t get fined.”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
