goldfish

American  

[gohld-fish] / ˈgoʊldˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

goldfish,

plural

goldfishes

1. a small, usually yellow or orange fish, Carassius auratus, of the carp family, native to China, bred in many varieties and often kept in fishbowls and pools.

2. garibaldi.

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goldfish British  

/ ˈɡəʊldˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a freshwater cyprinid fish, Carassius auratus, of E Europe and Asia, esp China, widely introduced as a pond or aquarium fish. It resembles the carp and has a typically golden or orange-red coloration

2. any of certain similar ornamental fishes, esp the golden orfe See orfe

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Etymology

Origin of goldfish

First recorded in 1690–1700; gold + fish

Example Sentences

One of the features of a culture with the brains of a goldfish is that it also has the memory of a goldfish.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

To make eating fun, we serve them chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs and crackers shaped like goldfish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Training LLMs to trade is “a little like trying to get a goldfish to continue its train of thought.”

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

They don't reside in the goldfish bowl, they are not susceptible to the howls of protest from fans - the players booed off again - so they're distant and maybe more patient as a consequence.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

He waited and waited for it to rain goldfish so that he could give Frank back to his sister.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry