Smithsonian Institution

American  

[smith-soh-nee-uhn] / smɪθˈsoʊ ni ən /

noun

1. an institution in Washington, D.C., founded 1846 with a grant left by James Smithson, for the increase and diffusion of knowledge: U.S. national museum and repository.

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Smithsonian Institution British  

/ smɪθˈsəʊnɪən /

noun

1. a national museum and institution in Washington, D.C., founded in 1846 from a bequest by James Smithson, primarily concerned with ethnology, zoology, and astrophysics

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Smithsonian Institution Cultural  

1. A group of over a dozen museums and research and publication facilities, such as the National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of History and Technology, the National Zoo, and the National Gallery of Art. Many of the Smithsonian's buildings are on the Washington Mall. The institution is named after James Smithson, an Englishman whose bequest enabled its founding in the nineteenth century.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Smithsonian Institution

On Tuesday, the longtime secretary of the Smithsonian Institution announced his retirement at the end of the year.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 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

A Smithsonian Institution lab found that a flock of Brant and Canada geese “impacted” the rotor blades and the horizontal stabilizer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

"If deemed necessary, the site could be authorized again for nuclear weapons testing," according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, which is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025

Their trip was cosponsored by the Smithsonian Institution.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple