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

There were 182 passengers packed into more than a dozen 10-passenger gondola cars, dangling from the mile-long haul rope extending from the base to the top of the mountain at Sunspot. —John Meyer, Denver Post, 29 Nov. 2025

The project, known as a gondola ropeway, involves 10 pylons and three stations – valley, intermediate and summit – with 50 cabins seating 10 people each, able to carry 2,400 passengers an hour. —Reuters 6 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025

Or at Park City Mountain, ride the new ten-passenger Sunrise gondola for a breathtaking view of the Wasatch Range. —Outside, 25 Nov. 2025

Skiing and Snowboarding There are over 2,300 acres of skiable terrain in the Hakuba Valley, with more than 200 runs that are serviced by more than 90 lifts and gondolas. —Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025

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