gum·bo
ˈgəm-(ˌ)bō 
plural gumbos
1
: a soup thickened with okra pods or filé and containing meat or seafoods and usually vegetables
2
3
a
: any of various fine-grained silty soils especially of the central U.S. that when wet become impervious and soapy or waxy and very sticky
b
: a heavy sticky mud
gumbo
adjective
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of gumbo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2023
For this Stockton, California, native, the Juneteenth menu often includes macaroni and cheese, gumbo, cornbread, greens, and fried chicken.
—Danielle Broadway, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023
The fried chicken and gumbo are famous for a reason.
—Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023
The different cooking styles produced a range of popular meals centering on one-pot cooking to include stews or gumbos, or layering meat with greens.
—Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2023
In addition, there'll be peri peri chicken, pretzels, pickles, naan, nyama, gumbo, jambalaya, burgers, poutine, egg rolls, sushi and scones.
—Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2023
Joyce had given them the perfect childhood, one that sounded like the Supremes, Fats Domino and Elvis on vinyl; felt cozy like dancing in the living room; and tasted like pot roast and potatoes, gumbo and fried chicken.
—AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2023
They were seen as a weird gumbo of alternative hip-hop that featured rhymes in Haitian Creole and live instrumentation on songs that relied on Hill’s melodies and Jean’s showmanship.
—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023
Ingredients like ginger and turmeric meld with blue crab, roux and okra in Saffron’s curry seafood gumbo.
—Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
While gumbo can contain multiple types of proteins, étouffée typically focuses on one, and usually has a thicker consistency than gumbo.
—Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2023
For this Stockton, California, native, the Juneteenth menu often includes macaroni and cheese, gumbo, cornbread, greens, and fried chicken.
—Danielle Broadway, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023
The fried chicken and gumbo are famous for a reason.
—Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023
The different cooking styles produced a range of popular meals centering on one-pot cooking to include stews or gumbos, or layering meat with greens.
—Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2023
In addition, there'll be peri peri chicken, pretzels, pickles, naan, nyama, gumbo, jambalaya, burgers, poutine, egg rolls, sushi and scones.
—Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2023
Joyce had given them the perfect childhood, one that sounded like the Supremes, Fats Domino and Elvis on vinyl; felt cozy like dancing in the living room; and tasted like pot roast and potatoes, gumbo and fried chicken.
—AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2023
They were seen as a weird gumbo of alternative hip-hop that featured rhymes in Haitian Creole and live instrumentation on songs that relied on Hill’s melodies and Jean’s showmanship.
—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023
Ingredients like ginger and turmeric meld with blue crab, roux and okra in Saffron’s curry seafood gumbo.
—Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gumbo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing gumbo
Dictionary Entries Near gumbo
Cite this Entry
“Gumbo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumbo. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
gumbo
noun
gum·bo
ˈgəm-bō
plural gumbos
1
a
: okra
b
: a soup thickened with okra pods
2
: any of various silty soils that become very sticky when wet
More from Merriam-Webster on gumbo
Nglish: Translation of gumbo for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gumbo
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