museum
Americannoun
-
museums
plural
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A museum is a place where interesting objects are displayed — like paintings, historical documents, and dinosaur skeletons.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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Unit 5
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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:
And even if a museum is secured well, thieves could still come in armed, Brand says, adding that it would be impractical to put police in galleries.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Many were acquired by John Henry Hutton, a colonial administrator in the Indian Civil Service and an anthropologist, who handed them to the museum more than a century ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The group also operated a museum dedicated to the crackdown and held events, including a yearly washing of the "Pillar of Shame" -- a statue to mourn victims.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Prosecutors argued that evidence in the case, including the statue and archives from the Hong Kong Alliance's museum, should be confiscated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Uh, I don’t think this is about the museum anymore.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Christopher A. Marinello, the boss of Art Recovery International that recovers stolen art, says only 5-10% of stolen art is ever recovered, making thefts from small museums like this week's "extra painful".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
In a 2017 interview with The Times, Hobson said USC’s students and the neighboring museums were central to the couple’s decision to come to L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
I always quote “beauty begets beauty,” and I can tell he does not read any literature or visit museums to stay sharp.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Do ancient artifacts have a place as jewelry, or only in museums?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
How about the old-fashioned kind of art, the kind in museums that turned up on postcards and posters in people’s kitchens, the kind that they’d been talking about in school today?
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
