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🐟 A fish container 👀 No privacy
goldfish bowl

goldfish bowl

1 3.0
A round clear glass container used to keep small pet fish
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊldfɪʃ boʊl/
translation icon : pecera
  • He carefully cleaned the goldfish bowl to keep the water clear for his pet fish.

Examples

  • The kids gathered around the goldfish bowl to watch the fish swim.

  • Where does she keep that stuff, in a goldfish bowl?

    Big Brown Eyes (1936)

  • A goldfish bowl sits on the nightstand.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • He also bought a wicker stand for the goldfish bowl.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • She placed the goldfish bowl on the table so everyone could see the colorful fish.

Synonyms

bowl
vsgoldfish bowl
370 1.0

A round deep dish with an open top used to hold food or liquid

is specialized for keeping water and small pet animals rather than food
fish tank
vsgoldfish bowl
18 1.5

A glass box that holds water for keeping live fish

is smaller and meant mainly for individual pet care not displays
fishbowl
vsgoldfish bowl
6 2.5

A round glass bowl for keeping small pet fish

is specific to keeping goldfish rather than any small pet fish
fish bowl
vsgoldfish bowl
1 1.4

A clear round container to keep small pet fish

is defined by its round transparent shape used for such pets

Surface Forms

goldfish bowl singular
goldfish bowls plural

Morphology

goldfish + bowl

The figurative sense follows directly from the literal image of a goldfish in a glass bowl—constantly visible with no private space—so a learner who knows 'goldfish' and 'bowl' can readily infer a situation of being watched. This is a straightforward, familiar visual metaphor (used in English and in many other languages), making the expression transparently compositional for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Goldfish bowl originally meant a small, round glass bowl used to keep goldfish; the clear glass lets you see the fish from every side, so the name simply refers to the 'container' for pet fish.