gumbo
1 Americannoun
noun
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the mucilaginous pods of okra
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another name for okra
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a soup or stew thickened with okra pods
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a fine soil in the W prairies that becomes muddy when wet
noun
Etymology
Origin of gumbo1
1795–1805, < Louisiana French gombo, gumbo < a Bantu language; compare Umbundu ochinggombo, Luba chinggombo okra
Origin of Gumbo2
First recorded in 1835–40; probably from the same source as gumbo ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His gumbo recipe, for example, calls for two pouches each of smoked clams, oysters and mackerel along with white rice, oregano, cumin and chile peppers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2025
In the case of gumbo or succotash, it is a good thing.
From Salon • Apr. 1, 2025
Luckily the street is an artists’ enclave, with some opening their homes up for Hantman’s dinner receptions — one in January served gumbo family-style two doors down at a local artist’s Midcentury Modern house.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 29, 2024
As the bits and pieces of this great big gumbo of a country come together, new and surprising things are created.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024
The aroma of Mississippi-style gumbo, shrimp and grits, and peach cobbler cinnamon rolls is enough to make me hungry too, but JP doesn’t seem to care about food.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.