Goldfish Meaning
/ˈɡoʊldfɪʃ/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA type of small fish, Carassius auratus, typically orange-colored.
nounA person with an unreliable memory.
Sentence Examples
I'm feeding the goldfish.
I have a memory like a goldfish.
My goldfish looks sick. I wonder what's wrong with it.
CEFR Practice Quiz
My pet ____ swims in a small bowl of water.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He won a small ____ at the local fair and brought it home in a plastic bag to keep in his new aquarium.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰĺ̥h₃-to-mder. Proto-Germanic *gulþą Proto-West Germanic *golþ Old English gold Middle English gold English gold Proto-Indo-European *péysks Proto-Germanic *fiskaz Proto-West Germanic *fisk Old English fisċ Middle English fisch English fish English goldfish From gold + fish.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"However, unless you have a nonshedding, nonlicking breed, there's no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog. How about a nice goldfish instead?"
— 2017, Howard Bennett, The Fantastic Body: What Makes You Tick & How You Get Sick:
"Tomato soup is not complete without a toasted cheese sandwich and goldfishes. Not the new kind with the smiley faces though."
— 2000 January 1, Tracy T., “Knock knock...”, in alt.fan.british-accent (Usenet), archived from the original on 21 Oct 2025:
"The only solids he will eat are the Gerber Puffs, Cheerios, maybe some goldfish, and oyster crackers."
— 2004 December 17, Brodysmommy, “11 month old picky eater or something bigger??”, in misc.kids (Usenet), archived from the original on 21 Oct 2025:
"I’ve seen people let their kid drink from their drink and then drink from it themselves. That’s pushing the limits. That kid for sure just backwashed lime disease into your drink. Not to mention all the little chunks of animal crackers and goldfishes."
— 2015, Josh Nealis, chapter 4, in Stuffed Squirrels & Porcelain Angels, Cutthroat Comics & Publishing, →ISBN, page 92:
"They were both working on their second and The Bad Czech was threatening to break the pub record for eating Goldfish, previously held by the chairman of the division of chemistry. […] He took the little fish-shaped cracker and held it in fingers as big as 50-milliliter test tubes."
— 1983, Joseph Wambaugh, The Delta Star, Morrow/Perigord, page 215:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
My pet ____ swims in a small bowl of water.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He won a small ____ at the local fair and brought it home in a plastic bag to keep in his new aquarium.