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• gumbo
  gumbo

  noun

  a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes filé as a thickener.
• Gumbo
  Gumbo

  noun

  a French patois spoken by Black and Creole people in Louisiana and the French West Indies.

gumbo

¹ American  

[guhm-boh] / ˈgʌm boʊ /

noun

• gumbos
  plural

1. a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes filé as a thickener.

2. okra.

3. soil that becomes sticky and nonporous when wet.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or like gumbo.

Gumbo ² American  

[guhm-boh] / ˈgʌm boʊ /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. a French patois spoken by Black and Creole people in Louisiana and the French West Indies.

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gumbo ¹ British  

/ ˈɡʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. the mucilaginous pods of okra

2. another name for okra

3. a soup or stew thickened with okra pods

4. a fine soil in the W prairies that becomes muddy when wet

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Gumbo ² British  

/ ˈɡʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) a French patois spoken by Creoles in Louisiana and the Caribbean

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gumbos
  plural

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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. )

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Explanation

Gumbo is a Louisiana Creole stew that's thick and spicy, usually containing shellfish and sausage and served over rice. When you're visiting New Orleans, you should definitely try some gumbo. One of gumbo's traditional thickeners is the vegetable called okra, which is sometimes also called gumbo, from the Angolan word kingombo. The ingredients of an authentic gumbo can vary a lot, though it almost always starts with celery, onions, and peppers and flavorful stock. From there, it needs a thickener (either a roux or cooked okra), spices, and meat or shellfish. Gumbo is the official food of the state of Louisiana.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gumbo Gumbo gumbos

On a recent morning, Nones took photos for a cookbook, shooting portraits of residents who submitted recipes for Romanian stuffed cabbage and gumbo, coaching them from his chair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

That includes mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie and casserole, or big pots of soup, chowder, gumbo and jambalaya.

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026

And he makes this gumbo that’s fire, usually on Sundays.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2024

Dan's winning smoked fish dish, another of Manny's mgnificent moles, Savannah's chawanmushi, Danny's carrot-centric chowder, Amanda's "brilliant" vegan gumbo and Laura's tartare all sounded great.

From Salon ● May 15, 2024

‘By gumbo, that is a squackling good idea!’ the BFG said.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

“Those of us who were here when the park was founded have much more of a sense of emotional connection to it than the young people” who are students now, said Gumbo, 80.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2024

“We are getting into a match with both legs tied,” said CCC lawyer Agency Gumbo.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2023

Because Gumbo is a special at Kitchen on Main, Dorothy and MaRanda choose a time when they can both devote an entire day to making it together.

From Salon ● May 18, 2023

A co-owner, she gets credit for the look of the space, the former Gumbo Ya Ya.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022

Ella thought of Gumbo and Paon and Greno, her family's conjure companions, and how they, too, usually held skepticism.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

“No two gumbos are alike, and that goes for others who make gumbo, as well.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 9, 2021

With her mother coordinating food drops, Williams received curries, gumbos and self-packaged olive oil for meals, along with baked goods her mom routinely included.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 11, 2020

And because of that, our gatherings are generally joyous gumbos of movie quotes and good-natured insults.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2020

After he realised the scale of the problem, he founded the National Institute of Crayfish Trappers, and became Crayfish Bob, selling gumbos and crawfish boil.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 31, 2017

My father and his family brought the Deep South with them — barbecues and gumbos, dirty rice and soul food.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2015

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Related Words

• bouillon
• chowder
• porridge
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