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
Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
Colo’s Southern Cafe Colo’s Southern Cafe, owned and operated by Kevin and Tamar McCree, serves a wide range of dishes, such as oxtails, fried chicken and gumbo.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2024
From roasted chicken to seafood gumbo, baked macaroni and cheese and peach cobbler, Soul Secrets offers a variety of traditional Southern dishes that are staples within the Black community, as well as Holloway's family.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024
The Beignet Fest and More Beignets, gumbo, boudin, crawfish, and po-boys are staples to New Orleans.
—Ronny Maye, Essence, 12 Feb. 2024
For starters, that zesty rib-sticking gumbo, whose stock is thick from cooking chicken feet in it and dark from having the roux cooked low and slow in the oven.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024
Tori’s menu is filled with southern cuisine ranging from hot water cornbread at $2.50 a piece to a family-sized portion of their specialty dish gumbo for $27.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024
Another invokes the spirit of gumbo with little morsels of andouille, okra, and sautéed bell pepper.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 13 Mar. 2024
Like its iconic gumbo, New Orleans is a fascinating cultural stew.
—Lanee Lee, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
Unlike most gumbos, which range in shade from deep red to rich brown, gumbo z’herbes gets its verdant color from a massive amount of leafy vegetables.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
Colo’s Southern Cafe Colo’s Southern Cafe, owned and operated by Kevin and Tamar McCree, serves a wide range of dishes, such as oxtails, fried chicken and gumbo.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2024
From roasted chicken to seafood gumbo, baked macaroni and cheese and peach cobbler, Soul Secrets offers a variety of traditional Southern dishes that are staples within the Black community, as well as Holloway's family.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024
The Beignet Fest and More Beignets, gumbo, boudin, crawfish, and po-boys are staples to New Orleans.
—Ronny Maye, Essence, 12 Feb. 2024
For starters, that zesty rib-sticking gumbo, whose stock is thick from cooking chicken feet in it and dark from having the roux cooked low and slow in the oven.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024
Tori’s menu is filled with southern cuisine ranging from hot water cornbread at $2.50 a piece to a family-sized portion of their specialty dish gumbo for $27.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024
Another invokes the spirit of gumbo with little morsels of andouille, okra, and sautéed bell pepper.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 13 Mar. 2024
Like its iconic gumbo, New Orleans is a fascinating cultural stew.
—Lanee Lee, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near gumbo
Cite this Entry
“Gumbo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumbo. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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