goldfish

noun

gold·​fish ˈgōl(d)-ˌfish How to pronounce goldfish (audio)
: a small usually golden-orange Asian cyprinid fish (Carassius auratus) often kept as an aquarium and pond fish

Examples of goldfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It’s got hoop earrings and purple lipstick, and a stray graying hair is being held aloft in the cosmos by what appears to be a goldfish, or maybe a tiny mermaid. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2023 Rodgers then opened his hands to reveal … a goldfish. Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2023 The Patapsco, Choptank, Patuxent and Pocomoke rivers further away also hold plenty of the overgrown goldfish. Jim Gronaw, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2023 Police in nearby Stafford County said three toddlers went to the hospital last year after eating goldfish crackers that contained THC. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 15 July 2023 He was deployed to Antakya the week after the earthquake, helping to rescue dogs, cats, bunnies, reptiles, and even a bowl of goldfish that remained intact while the residence around it had been destroyed. Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 2023 The swimming goldfish leave trails too, albeit evanescent ones — whispers in the water. Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023 Soon after that project Berens added a goldfish pond, an Asian garden and a vegetable garden. Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 9 June 2023 Stock some koi, goldfish and even red-eared slider turtles in it. Jill Gleeson, Country Living, 2 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'goldfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of goldfish was in 1752

Dictionary Entries Near goldfish

Cite this Entry

“Goldfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goldfish. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

goldfish

noun
gold·​fish -ˌfish How to pronounce goldfish (audio)
: a small usually golden orange fish that is often kept in aquariums or ponds

More from Merriam-Webster on goldfish

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