gondola

noun

gon·​do·​la ˈgän-də-lə 

(usual for sense 1)

gän-ˈdō- 

1

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

2

a

: an elongated car attached to the underside of an airship

b

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

c

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

especially : one used as a ski lift

3

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

4

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

Illustration of gondola

• gondola 1

Examples of gondola in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On Wednesday, June 17, the Lancaster County park's Sky Ride, an open-air gondola that transports guests across the property, stopped while guests were on board, a park spokesperson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026

Not that everyone should skip the gondolas or suddenly up and move to Venice. —Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 June 2026

Whistler is also home to over 31 miles of alpine hiking trails, four championship golf courses, four lakes for water sports, three rivers for white water rafting, as well as the famed Peak 2 Peak gondola. —Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

Imagine taking a gondola through the sky to a magical, floating boarding school. —Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gondola

noun

gon·​do·​la ˈgän-də-lə ( 

usual for sense 1

) 

gän-ˈdō-

1

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

2

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

3

: an enclosure that hangs from something: as

a

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

b

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