guppy

American  

[guhp-ee] / ˈgʌp i /

noun

• guppies
  plural

1. a small, freshwater topminnow, Poecilia reticulata, often kept in aquariums.

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guppy British  

/ ˈɡʌpɪ /

noun

1. a small brightly coloured freshwater viviparous cyprinodont fish, Lebistes reticulatus, of N South America and the Caribbean: a popular aquarium fish

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• guppies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guppy

Named after R.J.L. Guppy (1836–1916) of Trinidad, who presented specimens to the British Museum; catalogued under the New Latin name Gerardinus guppyi in 1866

Explanation

A guppy is a tiny, tropical fish that's popular for keeping in small tanks. The freshwater aquarium is your classroom might be full of guppies. Although guppies are native to South America and the tropics, they're now found on every continent except Antarctica. These little fish are so popular in part because they're incredibly adaptable, requiring nothing more than warm fresh water to thrive for up to three years. Guppies get along with other kinds of fish and aren't picky about food. They're named for Robert John Lechmere Guppy, who discovered them in Trinidad in 1866.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guppy guppies

But I felt like I was a little guppy taken from a small aquarium and put into a big tank.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2023

Make and justify a claim regarding the effect of genetic variation in guppies on the stability of an ecosystem of which the guppy is a member.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Cazale delivers this feckless rant with wide-eyed rage and self-pity, flopping up and down in his lounge chair like a beached guppy.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 13, 2019

“You don’t take a guppy and stick them into a shark tank … I’m not saying, ‘Give a child a break if they did something wrong.’

From Washington Times ● Feb. 23, 2019

I didn’t see the usual darting of neon tetras, and the guppy tanks were all dark.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

The most fundamental tool he describes is an innate “number sense,” as displayed by both humans and some animals, including rats, ants, chickens, chimpanzees and guppies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

In her debris-strewn bedroom, Datsenko's pet guppies slowly cruised in their tank, on the floor of which lay a large green catfish.

From Reuters ● Oct. 11, 2022

The researchers in Denmark identified 49 different kinds of animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish – even guppies in a pond.

From NewsForKids.net ● Jan. 20, 2022

Last year, a study on guppies in Trinidad demonstrated that the fish’s evolution can drive an ecological change as strongly as an environmental factor: the amount of light available.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 1, 2018

Once the guppies turn into x's and y’s, my contacts fog.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson