plural gourds
1
: any of a family (Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family) of chiefly herbaceous tendril-bearing vines including the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin
2
: the fruit of a gourd : pepo
especially : any of various hard-rinded inedible fruits of plants of two genera (Lagenaria and Cucurbita) often used for ornament or for vessels and utensils
Walking through the various barrios, you might see people sharing sips from a little gourd with a straw in it. Bruce Sanderson
… a basketball-size gourd draped with a veil of wooden beads—to incite individual bursts of improvisation from the orchestra's players. The New Yorker

see also out of one's gourd

Examples of gourd in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These structures are quite sturdy and strong enough to hold larger, perennial plants like grapevines, as well as sprawling squash and gourds, melons, and more. Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Feb. 2026 Monk fruit, known as Siraitia grosvenorii or luo han guo, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family of gourds. Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 4 Feb. 2026 Monk fruit, also known as Buddha fruit, is native to southern China and is a member of the gourd family. Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026 At the front of the room, some students played ipu heke, or double-gourd drums, and performed oli, an ancient Hawaiian chant. Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gourd

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gourde, from Anglo-French gurde, gourde, from Latin cucurbita

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of gourd was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gourd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gourd. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

gourd

noun
1
: any of a family of tendril-bearing vines (as the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin)
2
: the usually hard-shell many-seeded fruit of a gourd
gourdlike
-ˌlīk
adjective

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