museum
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of museum
1605–15; < Latin mūsēum place sacred to the Muses, building devoted to learning or the arts (referring especially to the scholarly institute founded in Alexandria about 280 b.c.) < Greek Mouseîon, equivalent to Moûs ( a ) Muse + -eion suffix of place
Explanation
A museum is a place where interesting objects are displayed — like paintings, historical documents, and dinosaur skeletons. There are all kinds of museums. Art museums are some of the most well-known, such as the Louvre in Paris. The Natural History Museum, with its dinosaur skeletons and stuffed bears and lions, is one of New York's most famous. In Washington, DC, the Smithsonian is a group of impressive museums. Around the country, there are museums dedicated to sports, African-American culture, spies, and just about everything else. At any museum, you'll find a lot of tourists.
Vocabulary lists containing museum
"A Suitcase of Seaweed" and "Immigrants Today"
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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:
"She's been a valued member of our team really, ever since bringing Japanese visitors to us both in real life and virtually to the museum," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Arnault ended his letter on a more conciliatory note, inviting the Le Monde journalists for an aperitif at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the brand’s contemporary-art museum in Paris.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"And I said, 'Japanese people would buy, Japanese people would go to the museum and things. I can do that, I can maybe promote it for this city'."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The museum will also screen “Seeing Is Believing: The Story of Narrative Art,” a new documentary series it commissioned from Robin Dashwood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Wait until you get to the Siren’s Cove. It’s filled with just as many wonders. The museum even calls Auntie North to buy or loan things from her, isn’t that right?”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Striking in these two apparently unrelated episodes is one word in particular — accuracy — and important lessons museums and historians can learn to combat these attacks on the integrity of historical research.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
But a full retrospective at one of her hometown’s major museums eluded her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Smithsonian Institution, founded nearly two centuries ago, is a Washington mainstay whose 21 museums are largely dedicated to US history and culture, as well as art.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Over the next two years, it is hoped that more than 1.2 million specimen records from 23 museums and herbaria will be added to a central England hub.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
And Zohra would love checking out the museums and the mall and all the Christmas decorations and lights.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
