gumbo

1 of 2

noun (1)

gum·​bo ˈgəm-(ˌ)bō How to pronounce gumbo (audio)
plural gumbos
1
: a soup thickened with okra pods or filé and containing meat or seafoods and usually vegetables
2
3
a
: any of various fine-grained silty soils especially of the central U.S. that when wet become impervious and soapy or waxy and very sticky
b
: a heavy sticky mud
4
gumbo adjective

gumbo

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or Gumbo

Examples of gumbo in a Sentence

Noun (1) drew his artistic inspiration from the city's rich gumbo of musical styles
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
The event will be held June 14 and 15 at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd., and will feature thousands of pounds of crawfish flown in from Louisiana alongside Southern staples like gumbo, frog legs, beignets and alligator bites. Marcus D. Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2025 Dinner menu items include chili cheese fries, chicken fingers, cheese burgers, wings adjacent to gumbo, a veggie quesadilla, Cajun chicken pasta, a gyro sandwich and Cajun salmon. Mari Pressley, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2025 Jazz Fest will host 65 vendors that represent the vast culinary range of New Orleans, a city known for savory (and sweet) treats like crawfish, beignets, gumbo and jambalaya. Rachel Desantis, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025 Start with them raw on the half shell or baked with buttery garlic breadcrumbs, and don’t miss the Mobile Bay gumbo. originaloysterhouse.com; multiple locations 4. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gumbo

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

American French gombo, of Bantu origin; akin to Umbundu ochinggômbo okra

Noun (2)

American French gombo, perhaps from Kongo nkômbô runaway slave

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gumbo was in 1805

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gumbo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumbo. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

gumbo

noun
gum·​bo
ˈgəm-bō
plural gumbos
1
a
: okra
b
: a soup thickened with okra pods
2
: any of various silty soils that become very sticky when wet

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