gourd

noun

ˈgȯrd  ˈgu̇rd 

plural gourds

1

: any of a family (Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family) of chiefly herbaceous tendril-bearing vines including the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin

2

: the fruit of a gourd : pepo

especially : any of various hard-rinded inedible fruits of plants of two genera (Lagenaria and Cucurbita) often used for ornament or for vessels and utensils

Walking through the various barrios, you might see people sharing sips from a little gourd with a straw in it.

—Bruce Sanderson

… a basketball-size gourd draped with a veil of wooden beads—to incite individual bursts of improvisation from the orchestra's players.

—The New Yorker

see also:

out of one's gourd

Examples of gourd in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Go for a classic triangle-eye grinning gourd, but also consider dabbling in something a little different. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 16 Sep. 2026

Along with flower, blueberry and apple picking, the farm has pumpkins and gourds, fresh produce, fall mums and more for purchase at the farm stand. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 11 Sep. 2026

For a welcoming fall porch look, place the fluffy stems in matching planters on either side of your entryway and surround them with gourds and lanterns. — Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2026

The possibilities for these gourd-geous Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s are infinite. — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gourde, from Anglo-French gurde, gourde, from Latin cucurbita

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing gourd

• bottle gourd
• buffalo gourd
• out of one's gourd

Rhymes for gourd

• board
• bored
• chord
• cord
• corde
• cored
• fjord
• floored
• gored
• hoard
• horde
• lord

Kids Definition

gourd

noun

ˈgō(ə)rd  ˈgȯ(ə)rd 

ˈgu̇(ə)rd

1

: any of a family of tendril-bearing vines (as the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin)

2

: the usually hard-shell many-seeded fruit of a gourd

gourdlike

-ˌlīk

adjective