gondola

noun

gon·do·la ˈgän-də-lə

(usual for sense 1)

gän-ˈdō-

Synonyms of gondola

: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high prow and stern used on the canals of Venice

: an elongated car attached to the underside of an airship

: an often spherical airtight enclosure suspended from a balloon for carrying passengers or instruments

: an enclosed car suspended from a cable and used for transporting passengers

especially : one used as a ski lift

: a heavy flat-bottomed boat used on New England rivers and on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers

: a railroad car with no top, a flat bottom, and fixed sides that is used chiefly for hauling heavy bulk commodities

Examples of gondola in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Hop on a gondola While mountain resorts are best known for skiing in the winter, many keep off-season tourists happy with scenic sky rides. — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026 Babs and Anne weren’t rolling around on an MTV stage or dancing on a gondola in a music video while wearing spandex pants. — Lisa Whittington-Hill, Longreads, 27 Aug. 2026 Step right off the property onto miles of scenic hiking and mountain biking trails, or ride the complimentary gondola down to historic downtown for instant access to iconic box-canyon treks, cascading waterfalls and world-class fly fishing. — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park can only be accessed by a scenic gondola ride that whisks visitors up the mountain. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gondola

Word History

Etymology

Italian dialect (Venetian), probably from Middle Greek kontoura small vessel

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of gondola was in 1549

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

Gondi

gondola

gondolet

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gondola.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gondola. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

gondola

noun

gon·do·la ˈgän-də-lə (

usual for sense 1

)

gän-ˈdō-

: a long narrow boat with a high prow and stern used on the canals of Venice

: a railroad car with low sides and no top used for hauling loose freight

: an enclosure that hangs from something: as

: the part of a balloon in which passengers or instruments are carried

: a car that hangs from a cable and is used especially as a lift for skiers

gondola

noun

Illustration of gondola

Examples of gondola in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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