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

Skiing and Snowboarding Info Sun Valley is deceptively large, with more than 2,500 acres of diverse terrain spread across two mountains (Bald and Dollar), and roughly 120 runs served by about 17 lifts, including a gondola, high-speed quads, and six-packs. —Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2026

Just off the gondola entrance sits Club Moritzino, one of the Dolomites’ most enduring mountain huts and a buzzing lunch and apres-ski destination. —Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2026

The gondola returned to normal operations Thursday morning, Gore Mountain said. —Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026

Our friends would have snowmobiles waiting to go beyond where the main gondola reaches on Aspen Mountain. —Taylor Eisenhauer, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 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