gondola

noun

gon·​do·​la

(usual for sense 1)

ˈgän-də-lə  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

Staying in Mountain Village positions you for a seamless bike-in, bike-out experience—simply roll out from your hotel, hop on the gondola or chairlift, and hit the Telluride Bike Park’s flowing berms and scenic singletrack. —AFAR Media, 23 May 2025

Quinn, Matt, and Maya join them but grow distracted long enough for Griffin to fall into a passing gondola. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 May 2025

Gondoliers were elevated from a lower working class to the upper working class because everything happened on the gondola. —Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 11 May 2025

Taking this independent option will save you money too, with roundtrip tickets for the gondola starting at 450 Norwegian kroner, approximately $40. —David Nikel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 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