gondola

noun

gon·do·la | \ ˈgän-də-lə (usual for sense 1)

, gän-ˈdō-

Definition of gondola

1 : a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high prow and stern used on the canals of Venice

2 : a heavy flat-bottomed boat used on New England rivers and on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers

3 : a railroad car with no top, a flat bottom, and fixed sides that is used chiefly for hauling heavy bulk commodities

4a : 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

Examples of gondola in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One more gondola ride in the dark, and that’s the end of Day One. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "Telluride Day One: Gondolas, mile-high mimosas, and serious Adam Sandler," 31 Aug. 2019 Rome's efforts to curb the unwelcome behavior of tourists and to protect pieces of history mirror actions in Italian cities like Venice and Florence, where respectively shirtless gondola rides and eating on church steps are banned. — NBC News, "Police patrol Rome's Spanish Steps to enforce sitting ban," 8 Aug. 2019 While on vacation in Italy (with her grandparents, no less) to celebrate her 27th birthday, Gomez took part in a classic Italian activity—a gondola ride—in appropriately romantic style. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Selena Gomez Is Living the Sweet Life in Italy," 29 July 2019 Other Festa staples, including the gondola rides, the Italian Idol competition and the fireworks (10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) will be back. — Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "6 things you should be doing in Milwaukee this weekend, from Festa Italiana to the moon landing," 18 July 2019 There’ll be lots of authentic Italian food and fun — think bocce courts and gondola rides. — Phil Marty, chicagotribune.com, "Get a taste of Italy in Milwaukee, watch champion water skiers and more Midwest events," 1 July 2019 President Barack Obama learned this the hard way when, in his youth, he was kicked out of the park for lighting up on the Skywalk gondola ride. — Sunset, "Going to Disney? Leave the Juul, the Double-Wide Bugaboo, and Your Dry Ice at Home," 22 Jan. 2018 The train includes seating on an open-air gondola, which has no canopy. — Micah Walker, Detroit Free Press, "All aboard: Experience fall colors on these historic trains in Michigan," 11 Aug. 2019 Since the fire, the park has built a new visitors center, a gondola, a zip line that crosses the gorge, new food areas, an amphitheater for summer concerts, and a children’s playland, complete with a carousel, splash pad and climbing areas. — Sarah Kuta, The Know, "As the Royal Gorge turns 90, now is the time to visit Cañon City," 27 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gondola.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.