gumbo

1 of 2

noun (1)

gum·​bo ˈgəm-(ˌ)bō How to pronounce gumbo (audio)
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
4
gumbo adjective

gumbo

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or Gumbo

Examples of gumbo in a Sentence

Noun (1) drew his artistic inspiration from the city's rich gumbo of musical styles
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
That way the potato salad doesn’t get mushy in the gumbo. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024 What to do: Try these 5 delicious gumbos or these 11 bowls of soups. Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024 Their Creole filé gumbo starts with a roux (a flour and fat mixture for thickness). Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024 The latter was the first train car to offer on-board meals, including regional specialties like gumbo, which were prepared in a 3-foot-by-6 foot kitchen. Oscar Holland, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gumbo 

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

Etymology

Noun (1)

American French gombo, of Bantu origin; akin to Umbundu ochinggômbo okra

Noun (2)

American French gombo, perhaps from Kongo nkômbô runaway slave

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gumbo was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near gumbo

Cite this Entry

“Gumbo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumbo. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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