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

Custom designed in Italy — to accommodate bigger tables and cupholders — and installed in 2014, the wheel features 16 gondolas and overlooks the Mississippi River. — Aki Nace, CBS News, 1 July 2026

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

Eight days after that, the public, displaying perhaps more hope than sense, packed into the gondolas for the ride of their lives. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026

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