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

"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 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

Utah officials reported exposures at elementary schools, churches, an aquarium, Walmart stores, a ski resort and a youth gymnastics meet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Inside was peacock water, rocks and weed showing as in an aquarium; outside was the dark blue of the sea.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

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

He said the legislation was driven by "an emotionally based but misguided assumption that breeding cetaceans in aquaria is somehow bad for them."

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 24, 2020

She loves to be among the living creatures, whether on the reefs or in her aquaria.

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

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

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