gondola

noun

gon·​do·​la

(usual for sense 1)

ˈgän-də-lə  gän-ˈdō- 

1

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

2

a

: 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

3

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

4

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

Illustration of gondola

• gondola 1

Examples of gondola in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Take a gondola ferry A standard gondola ride costs €90 for 30 minutes during the day or €110 at night, but there’s a money-saving hack that the locals use. —Laura Itzkowitz, AFAR Media, 13 Mar. 2025

Venice, with its winding canals, centuries-old architecture, and romantic gondola rides, has long been hailed as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2025

In the early 1980s, a gondola went directly to the level of the ice. —Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2025

View gallery - 12 images This is not your grandad's cable car gondola. —New Atlas, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian dialect (Venetian), probably from Middle Greek kontoura small vessel

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gondola

noun

gon·​do·​la ˈgän-də-lə ( 

usual for sense 1

) 

gän-ˈdō-

1

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

2

: a railroad car with low sides and no top used for hauling loose freight

3

: an enclosure that hangs from something: as

a

: the part of a balloon in which passengers or instruments are carried

b

: a car that hangs from a cable and is used especially as a lift for skiers