aquarium

American  

[uh-kwair-ee-uhm] / əˈkwɛər i əm /

noun

• aquariums,
  plural
• aquaria
  plural

1. a glass-sided tank, bowl, or the like, in which fish or other living aquatic animals or plants are kept.

2. a building or institution in which fish or other aquatic animals or plants are kept for exhibit, study, etc.

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aquarium British  

/ əˈkwɛərɪəm /

noun

1. a tank, bowl, or pool in which aquatic animals and plants are kept for pleasure, study, or exhibition

2. a building housing a collection of aquatic life, as for exhibition

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aquarial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aquaria
  plural
• aquariums
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aquarium aquaria aquariums

The museum was founded by Ukrainian aquarium developers.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

"It's not common for us to see them," said Lesser, the aquarium guide.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Franklin’s expansive property was designed with entertainment in mind as it comes with spacious bedrooms, a poker room, a large aquarium, and sweeping views of the ocean and mountains.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

The authors also stress the need for stronger public education efforts so pet owners understand the environmental consequences of releasing aquarium animals into natural waterways.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Connor was talking nonstop, telling me all about jellyfish, because his class had gone on a field trip to the aquarium, and the moon jellies were his favorites.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

To answer that question, genetically modified sea anemones were moved from laboratory aquaria into outdoor marine mesocosms supplied with natural estuarine water in South Carolina.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026

Herbert reached out to the Lepas expert Anne Marie Power at the University of Galway in Ireland, who signed on to raise live L. anatifera in aquaria to establish shell chemistry for different temperatures.

From National Geographic ● Aug. 23, 2023

We distributed many of them to other aquaria to raise awareness about this species.

From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2022

In a large room full of aquaria, the striped, pinkie-size swimmers flit past fake green plants, white plastic tunnels, and multicolored marbles that may remind them of the bottoms of lakes and streams.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 7, 2018

Marie-Laure can hear the aquaria bubble and the woman inhale and the rubber stoppers on the stool legs beneath her squeak as she shifts.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

At this rainforest-like indoor farm, where creatures such as coral, tropical fish and sea cucumbers inhabit different aquariums, Kinjo bred "miracle coral" with extra resistance to warmer water.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

In the U.S. in the early ’90s, elements such as windows, plants and even aquariums were considered choices that might serve as symbolic material for the client.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Wealthy homeowners are spending big to install and maintain aquariums that look like living, three-dimensional art pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

The study analyzed records from 117 mammal species living in zoos and aquariums worldwide and combined them with a meta-analysis of 71 previously published studies.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 16, 2026

Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan