aquarium

noun

aquar·​i·​um ə-ˈkwer-ē-əm 

plural aquariums or aquaria ə-ˈkwer-ē-ə 

1

: a container (such as a glass tank) or an artificial pond in which living aquatic animals or plants are kept

2

: an establishment where aquatic organisms are kept and exhibited

Examples of aquarium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the aquarium, Chappy weighed 28 pounds, just 7 pounds less than what a newborn gray seal typically weighs. —Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025

The aquarium's animal rescue clinic started caring for the seal pup after a passerby in New Haven spotted Chappy stuck on a busy road. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025

Others sketched the science classroom with its aquariums housing lizards, tarantulas and a bright green tree frog. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Feb. 2025

More than a dozen of the species on the report card can be found at the Long Beach aquarium. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably alteration of aquatic vivarium

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing aquarium

• tropical aquarium

Rhymes for aquarium

• herbarium
• ovarium
• puparium
• samarium
• zoarium
• armamentarium
• cerium
• honorarium
• planetarium
• sanitarium

Kids Definition

aquarium

noun

aquar·​i·​um ə-ˈkwar-ē-əm 

-ˈkwer-

plural aquariums or aquaria

-ē-ə

: a container (as a glass tank) in which living water animals or plants are kept

also : an establishment where collections of such animals or plants are kept and shown