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

Once inside, visitors were encouraged to urinate in two onsite toilets which filter and pump sanitized water back into a large aquarium tank where performers float for four hours at a time, breathing through a scuba mask. —Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 9 May 2026

The story attracted her first, a heartwarming narrative about an aquarium cleaner (Field) who looks after a giant Pacific octopus (voiced by Alfred Molina) and the young drifter (Lewis Pullman) who deepens both their lives while doing his own soul-searching. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 May 2026

Albuquerque’s green spaces range from ABQ BioPark along the Rio Grande River with its zoo, botanic garden and aquarium, to Sandia Peak in Cibola National Forest, reached via the longest aerial tram in the western hemisphere. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026

After being rescued from a Taiwanese fish market several years ago, Yushan is the only whale shark in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, according to aquarium officials. —CBS News, 8 May 2026

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

• cerium
• armamentarium
• herbarium
• ovarium
• puparium
• samarium
• zoarium
• 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