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.

---

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

---

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

Federal biologists will be monitoring surf conditions and currents at beaches near the aquarium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Two fragments taken from the same coral colony, one healthy and the other bleached, had fallen against each other in an aquarium.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

The Louvre was victimized last year by thieves who exploited the museum’s antiquated security in a specific wing, but the Mona Lisa—kept in a virtual aquarium when on public view—is another story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The property sprawls across 20,000 square feet and boasts a media room, a 14,000-gallon aquarium, and several other lavish amenities.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

The various museums came in for their share of attention, together with the parks and the beaches and the aquarium.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

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

Most home marine aquaria house coral reef species that are wild-caught organisms—not cultured organisms.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 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

They are still my favorite fish to observe in aquariums or the ocean.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Described by SeaWorld as “an unprecedented international whale rescue effort,” the goal is to safely relocate the animals to suitable facilities, including aquariums and marine parks as far away as Atlanta and Valencia, Spain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

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

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

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

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---