museum

noun

mu·​se·​um myu̇-ˈzē-əm 

: 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

Synonyms of museum

• gallery
• exhibition

Examples of museum in a Sentence

a museum of natural history

a trip to the Museum of Natural History

Recent Examples on the Web

The move represents years of advocacy on behalf of Anna Wintour to elevate the profile of the Costume Institute, which had been relegated to the museum's basement. —Dalila Muata, NBC news, 5 May 2026

Celebrities don their Met Gala finest and exit through a throng of onlookers into a car (or, more often, a sprinter van) to the museum. —Anika Reed, USA Today, 5 May 2026

Last week, to criticize billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ role as honorary chair alongside wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos, activists with the group Everyone Hates Elon left approximately 300 bottles of fake urine in the famed museum, The New York Times reports. —Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026

This means that visitors can expect to see nearly 400 objects, including approximately 200 garments and accessories and 200 paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts, according to the museum. —Vanity Fair, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

circa 1660, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing museum

• historical museum
• museum piece
• wax museum

Rhymes for museum

• athenaeum
• coliseum
• colosseum
• mausoleum
• mycelium
• corneum
• hordeum
• luteum
• lyceum
• endothelium
• periosteum
• peritoneum

Kids Definition

museum

noun

mu·​se·​um myu̇-ˈzē-əm 

: a building in which interesting and valuable things (as works of art or historical or scientific objects) are collected and shown to the public

Etymology

from Latin Museum "a place devoted to the Muses, a place for the study of special arts and sciences," from Greek Mouseion (same meaning), from Mouseios "of the Muses," from Mousa "Muse, goddess of an art or science" — related to music

Word Origin

The ancient Greeks worshipped nine sister goddesses, each of whom was called a Mousa. In English we now refer to them as the Muses. The Greeks believed that each Muse was the goddess of a particular art or science. A place that was dedicated to these goddesses—and to the arts and sciences for which they stood—was called a Mouseion. The Greek Mouseion became Museum in Latin, from which it was borrowed into English about 300 years ago.