fishbowl

American

[fish-bohl] / ˈfɪʃˌboʊl /

Or fish bowl

noun

a glass bowl for goldfish, snails, etc.
a place, job, or condition in which one's activities are open to public view or scrutiny.

fishbowl British

/ ˈfɪʃˌbəʊl /

noun

another name for goldfish bowl

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fishbowl

First recorded in 1905–10; fish + bowl ¹

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.

Simmons’ role isn’t much more than a cameo, as he spends most of the movie asleep in a fishbowl, trapped there by Kiernan Shipka’s “Christmas witch” Gryla.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2024

We see some guileless part of ourselves within him — a half-formed reflection in his goldfish Dorothy’s fishbowl that’s been crusted over by the steady gnawing of time.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2024

"The fishbowl -- not the fish -- needs to change."

From Science Daily • Jan. 2, 2024

Inside a fishbowl, the goldfish — a species of carp native to East Asia, bred for aesthetic delight and traditionally believed to bring good fortune — is hardly more than home décor.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2023

“Stories,” Ma said, slapping her hands against the table, making the water in the fishbowl sway as she stood up and left the table, “are what wasted money on this goldfish.”

From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023