gondola

American  

[gon-dl-uh, gon-doh-luh] / ˈgɒn dl ə, gɒnˈdoʊ lə /

noun

1. a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat having a tall, ornamental stem and stern and sometimes a small cabin for passengers, rowed or poled by a single person who stands at the stern, facing forward: used especially on the canals of Venice, Italy.

2. a passenger compartment suspended beneath a balloon or airship.

3. an enclosed cabin suspended from an overhead cable, used to transport passengers up and down a ski slope or over scenic or treacherous terrain.

4. Also called gondola car.  an open railroad freight car with low sides, for transporting bulk freight and manufactured goods.

5. a truck whose bed or trailer is a hopper, as for transporting mixed cement.

6. a freestanding structure for displaying merchandise in a retail establishment, as a supermarket.

7. a chair or couch having a gondola back.

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gondola British  

/ ˈɡɒndələ /

noun

1. a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high ornamented stem and a platform at the stern where an oarsman stands and propels the boat by sculling or punting: traditionally used on the canals of Venice

2. 1. a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon

   2. a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc

3. a flat-bottomed barge used on canals and rivers of the US as far west as the Mississippi

4. a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon

5. a set of island shelves in a self-service shop: used for displaying goods

6. a broadcasting booth built close to the roof over an ice-hockey arena, used by commentators

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Etymology

Origin of gondola

1540–50; < Italian < Venetian, probably < Medieval Greek kontoúra small boat used in coastal navigation, noun use of feminine of kóntouros short, clipped, literally, dock-tailed, equivalent to Late Greek kont ( ós ), kond ( ós ) short + Greek -ouros -tailed, adj. derivative of ourá tail

Example Sentences

For something close to $5 million — one one-hundredth of the projected cost of gondola construction — McCourt likely could do an exceptional job.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

"My mother looked at me and said suddenly - look, a gondola is falling. She pretty much heard the impact of the gondola and saw how it fell," the skier told the Nau.ch website.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Local officials accused Horning of backing out of a plan to help fund an overhaul of the iconic gondola connecting Telluride and Mountain Village—a free 12-minute ride that stitches the two towns together.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

A plan to construct an estimated half-billion-dollar, 1.2-mile gondola from Union Station through Chinatown into Chavez Ravine by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt took its first steps toward reality.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

At the fair he took her on the Ferris Wheel and hired a gondola and walked with her on the dark fragrant paths of the Wooded Island, in the soft glow of Chinese lanterns.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• barge
• canoe
• catamaran
• craft
• dinghy
• raft
• sailboat
• schooner
• ship
• yacht