museum

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noun mu·se·um \ myu̇-ˈzē-əm \

Definition of museum

:an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value

American Museum of Natural History

; also :a place where objects are exhibited

an art museum

See museum defined for English-language learners

See museum defined for kids

Examples of museum in a Sentence

a museum of natural history
a trip to the Museum of Natural History

Recent Examples of museum from the Web

The museum, located on the lower tip of Manhattan on the East River, showcases the city’s maritime history.

— sophie haigney, New York Times, "South Street Seaport Museum Gets City Funds to Restore Lightship," 28 Aug. 2017
Cleland, for example, was able to identify proteins from a 12,000-year-old giant beaver skull sitting in a museum collection since 1845.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Proteomics: Moving Beyond DNA to Study the Past," 15 Aug. 2017
It is considered one of the world’s finest small art museums, gaining praise for its renovations by famed architect Frank Gehry.

— eva parziale, The Seattle Times, "Pasadena’s art, gardens and history make a good L.A. side trip," 14 Aug. 2017
The Whitney Museum was recently the center of a protest about the work of painter Dana Schultz when the museum chose to exhibit a painting of Emmet Till.

— pam mandel, Longreads, "Cherokee Artist Jimmie Durham: Not Cherokee," 2 Aug. 2017
Three other manatees currently being rehabilitated at the museum were not harmed.

— by marc r. masferrer, miamiherald, "Oldest living manatee in captivity dies at Florida museum," 23 July 2017
Every room maintained its own natural history museum of pizza boxes past, with all the attendant rodents.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "Horror Stories from the Grossest Apartments We Ever Lived In," 21 July 2017
Dali's paternity lawsuit was a topic of discussion Thursday among the lines of visitors at the museum.

— Bloomberg.com, "In Surrealist Twist, Salvador Dali Exhumed in Paternity Lawsuit," 20 July 2017
The couple, from Merrillville, got in line to go through the 9/11 Never Forget Exhibit, a 53-foot tractor that unfolds into a 1,000-foot traveling museum with remnants and historical information about the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Exhibit brings 9/11 history to Lake County," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'museum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of museum

Latin Museum place for learned occupation, from Greek Mouseion, from neuter of Mouseios of the Muses, from Mousa

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1660

See Words from the same year

museum Synonyms

Synonyms

gallery, salon

Related Words

archives, assemblage, collection, library; display, exhibition; studio

Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

MUSEUM Defined for English Language Learners

museum

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noun

Definition of museum for English Language Learners

: a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public