aquarium
Americannoun
-
a glass-sided tank, bowl, or the like, in which fish or other living aquatic animals or plants are kept.
-
a building or institution in which fish or other aquatic animals or plants are kept for exhibit, study, etc.
noun
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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")
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100" by Martin Espada
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
aqua and hydr
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
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
The findings carry an important warning for pet owners, natural resource managers, and policymakers: while goldfish are common household pets, they can become a significant ecological threat outside the aquarium.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
About 1,500 events take place at American Dream every year, from school-group aquarium visits to the New Jersey governor’s inaugural ball and JonasCon—a one-day fanfest starring the brothers themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
She spends her nights cleaning the local aquarium, where she befriends a Pacific octopus named Marcellus.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
The bearded aquarium worker had been replaced by a woman with a blonde ponytail.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
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
We distributed many of them to other aquaria to raise awareness about this species.
From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2022
Other researchers caution that the new study only shows isopods can pollinate algae in laboratory aquaria; it’s not yet known whether they are efficient at this in nature.
From Science Magazine ● Jul. 27, 2022
Most home marine aquaria are stocked with wild-caught organisms, not cultured organisms.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
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
Plus, wealthy homeowners go all in on splashy home aquariums and a former Starbucks CEO packs it up for South Florida.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
It comes as new BBC research shows 40% of accredited zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland have publicly raised concerns about their finances since 2022.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 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
In fact, their diets at the aquariums had to be scaled back because the fish were getting “chubby,” said Dagit, of the conservation district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
“Was she like Fred? I mean, did she always keep aquariums and hang out in gross places?”
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
