gondola

IPA/ˈɡɒndələ/
KK[ɡˈɑndələ]IPA/ˈɡɑːndələ/

gondola — noun

  • gondolasingular
  • gondolasplural

1. a passenger boat of a style seen in Venice, long and narrow with a flat base and

1.nounB1
Definition

a passenger boat of a style seen in Venice, long and narrow with a flat base and raised ends shaped like points

Example

Ayesha took a gondola ride through the narrow canals of Venice during her summer holiday.

collocation: gondola ride / gondola trip

The gondola glided silently past old buildings while the boatman sang an Italian song.

Common collocations
  • gondola ride
  • Venetian gondola
  • gondola trip
  • gondola tour
Synonyms
  • canal boat

    a general term that includes gondolas and other boats used on canals; less specific

  • water taxi

    a motorised boat for hire; faster and more practical than a gondola but lacks the traditional design

Grammar Patterns

take a ~

ride in a ~

travel by ~

Usage Note

The person who steers a gondola is called a gondolier. This sense is most often encountered in tourism and travel writing about Venice.

Common Mistakes

I took a gondola to the airport in Venice.
I took a water taxi to the airport in Venice.
A gondola is a traditional canal boat for short trips, not a practical passenger ferry.

2. a hanging compartment that carries people up or down a mountain, across a valley

2.nounB1
Definition

a hanging compartment that carries people up or down a mountain, across a valley, or along a ski slope, suspended from a moving steel cable

Example

The cable car's gondola swayed gently as it climbed toward the mountain station.

Bao and his sister waited for the next gondola to take them up the ski slope.

Common collocations
  • gondola lift
  • cable car gondola
  • ski gondola
  • glass-bottomed gondola
Synonyms
  • cable car cabin

    a more descriptive term; 'cable car' often refers to the whole system, not the individual compartment

  • ski lift carriage

    used specifically in skiing contexts; less common than 'gondola' in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

board a ~

ride in a ~

wait for a ~

Usage Note

This is the most common modern sense of 'gondola' outside Italy. A single installation may use multiple gondolas on one cable. A chairlift is a related but different system — gondolas are enclosed, while chairlifts are open seats.

Common Mistakes

The gondola sailed across the lake.
The gondola moved along the cable toward the mountain.
In this sense, a gondola hangs from a cable; it does not float on water.

3. a cabin or basket that hangs beneath an airship, balloon, or other aircraft, use

3.nounB2
Definition

a cabin or basket that hangs beneath an airship, balloon, or other aircraft, used to carry passengers, cargo, or equipment

Example

The hot air balloon's gondola had room for four passengers and the pilot.

Emre climbed into the wicker gondola as the balloon began to rise from the field.

collocation: wicker gondola (traditional balloon basket material)

Common collocations
  • balloon gondola
  • wicker gondola
  • airship gondola
Synonyms
  • basket

    the everyday word for the passenger compartment of a hot air balloon; 'gondola' sounds more formal or technical

  • capsule

    used for modern, enclosed passenger compartments on airships; more technical

Grammar Patterns

climb into a ~

ride in a ~

the ~ of a [balloon/airship]

Usage Note

For hot air balloons, the gondola is also commonly called a basket. In airship contexts, it may also be called a cabin or car. This sense overlaps with sense 2 (CABLE CAR) only in that both involve suspended compartments; the vehicles they attach to are entirely different.

Common Mistakes

We sailed the gondola across the sky.
We rode in the gondola beneath the hot air balloon.
The gondola is the passenger compartment, not the aircraft itself.

4. a railway goods wagon with a flat floor, low fixed sides, and no roof, designed

4.nounC1
Definition

a railway goods wagon with a flat floor, low fixed sides, and no roof, designed to carry heavy materials such as coal, stone, or scrap metal

Example

The train carried open gondolas loaded with coal from the mine.

collocation: open gondola / loaded with [material]

Felix watched the railway workers fill the gondola with crushed stone for the new road.

Common collocations
  • open gondola
  • coal gondola
  • steel gondola
  • gondola car
Synonyms
  • open wagon

    British English equivalent; more common outside North America

  • hopper car

    similar but has a mechanism to release cargo through bottom doors; not identical to a gondola

Grammar Patterns

load a ~

fill a ~

transport [material] in a ~

Usage Note

This sense is almost exclusively North American. In British English, the same type of wagon is usually called an open wagon or hopper wagon. The word 'gondola' in this sense is rarely encountered outside railway industry contexts.

Common Mistakes

The passengers sat in the gondola on the train.
The gondola carried iron ore behind the locomotive.
A railroad gondola is a freight car for bulk materials, not a passenger carriage.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

In the context of mountain transport, a gondola is an enclosed compartment suspended from a moving cable, while a cable car often refers to the entire system — the cabins, the cable, and the stations together. Some people use 'cable car' to mean the individual cabin as well, but strictly speaking the cabin is a gondola. A chairlift is different: passengers sit on open bench-like seats without any enclosure, making them less comfortable in bad weather but faster to load. For example, 'We took the gondola to the top of the mountain' suggests a comfortable, enclosed ride, whereas 'We took the chairlift to the black diamond trail' suggests an open-air experience suited to experienced skiers who do not mind the cold.

gondola ↗cable carchairlift

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • take a ~
  • ride a ~
  • wait for a ~
  • load a ~

Prepositions

  • in a ~
  • into a ~
  • out of a ~
  • by ~

Etymology

Byzantine GreekItalian (Venetian dialect)English

The word 'gondola' entered English directly from Italian, where it refers specifically to the traditional Venetian boat. The Italian word may trace back to the Byzantine Greek 'kontoura' (κοντούρα), meaning 'small boat,' but the exact origin is uncertain. The senses for suspended compartments (cable cars, balloons) and railway cars are later extensions based on the visual resemblance — a long, narrow container hanging or sitting below a supporting structure.