gumbo

¹ American  

[guhm-boh] / ˈgʌm boʊ /

noun

plural

gumbos

1. a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes filé as a thickener.

2. okra.

3. soil that becomes sticky and nonporous when wet.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or like gumbo.

Gumbo ² American  

[guhm-boh] / ˈgʌm boʊ /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. a French patois spoken by Black and Creole people in Louisiana and the French West Indies.

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gumbo ¹ British  

/ ˈɡʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. the mucilaginous pods of okra

2. another name for okra

3. a soup or stew thickened with okra pods

4. a fine soil in the W prairies that becomes muddy when wet

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Gumbo ² British  

/ ˈɡʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) a French patois spoken by Creoles in Louisiana and the Caribbean

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Etymology

Origin of gumbo¹

1795–1805, < Louisiana French gombo, gumbo < a Bantu language; compare Umbundu ochinggombo, Luba chinggombo okra

Origin of Gumbo²

First recorded in 1835–40; probably from the same source as gumbo ( def. )

Explanation

Gumbo is a Louisiana Creole stew that's thick and spicy, usually containing shellfish and sausage and served over rice. When you're visiting New Orleans, you should definitely try some gumbo. One of gumbo's traditional thickeners is the vegetable called okra, which is sometimes also called gumbo, from the Angolan word kingombo. The ingredients of an authentic gumbo can vary a lot, though it almost always starts with celery, onions, and peppers and flavorful stock. From there, it needs a thickener (either a roux or cooked okra), spices, and meat or shellfish. Gumbo is the official food of the state of Louisiana.

Example Sentences

That includes mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie and casserole, or big pots of soup, chowder, gumbo and jambalaya.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

His gumbo recipe, for example, calls for two pouches each of smoked clams, oysters and mackerel along with white rice, oregano, cumin and chile peppers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2025

Adults are about two feet long and weigh some 15 to 20 pounds, with plenty of meat for a gumbo or stew.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025

A light touch of herbs, some seasonings and a bright pop of fresh lemon juice, and you have a most brilliant concoction, a concoction that is now as much of a Creole classic as gumbo.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2024

You wanted to dissect the animals quickly, before the spontaneous liquefaction began, because you can’t dissect gumbo.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• bouillon
• chowder
• porridge
• puree