goldfish

plural goldfishes

1. A type of small fish, Carassius auratus, typically orange-colored.

   For the children's fair we'll have a few games they can play, so that each child "wins" a goldfish as a prize.

   1 more example

   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

2. figurativelyinformalA person with an unreliable memory.
3. nonstandardNonstandard form of Goldfish (“a small orange saltine-like cracker shaped in the form of a fish”).

   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

   2 more examples

   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

   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

plural Goldfishes · alternative nonstandard goldfish

1. A small orange saltine-like cracker shaped in the form of a fish.

   For me, Goldfish crackers were always a comfort food growing up.

   2007, George Stella, Eating Stella Style, Simon & Schuster, page 63

   2 more examples

   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

   No tomato soup with the toasted cheese? And I'd put mustard on the sandwich too, and parmesan cheese Goldfishes on the soup.

   1999 December 31, Tracy T., “Knock knock...”, in alt.fan.british-accent (Usenet), archived from the original on 21 Oct 2025