goldfish

American  

[gohld-fish] / ˈgoʊldˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

goldfish,

plural

goldfishes

1. a small, usually yellow or orange fish, Carassius auratus, of the carp family, native to China, bred in many varieties and often kept in fishbowls and pools.

2. garibaldi.

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goldfish British  

/ ˈɡəʊldˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a freshwater cyprinid fish, Carassius auratus, of E Europe and Asia, esp China, widely introduced as a pond or aquarium fish. It resembles the carp and has a typically golden or orange-red coloration

2. any of certain similar ornamental fishes, esp the golden orfe See orfe

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Etymology

Origin of goldfish

First recorded in 1690–1700; gold + fish

Example Sentences

One of the features of a culture with the brains of a goldfish is that it also has the memory of a goldfish.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

To make eating fun, we serve them chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs and crackers shaped like goldfish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

The one-page note, addressed to the head housemaid at Royal Lodge in Windsor, includes drawings of dogs, horses and young children and asks if "the birds are well, and the goldfish haven't died".

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Training LLMs to trade is “a little like trying to get a goldfish to continue its train of thought.”

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

The croaking sound of frogs broke the silence, and within seconds a swarm of tadpoles followed by a pair of goldfish filled the clearing.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez