pumpkin

noun

pump·​kin ˈpəm(p)-kən 

nonstandard

ˈpəŋ-kən 

often attributive

1

a

: a fruit of any of various cultivars of herbaceous plants (Cucurbita pepo, C. maxima, C. moschata, C. ficifolia, and C. argyrosperma) of the gourd family that is typically round and orange but may be another color or shape, that has a hard usually smooth skin with shallow longitudinal grooves, and that is grown for ornamental use or for its fibrous pale flesh used especially in baking or as feed for livestock

b

: any of several annual chiefly trailing American plants that bear pumpkins

2

: a strong orange color

Examples of pumpkin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Late May to early July is a great time to plant pumpkins for Halloween harvest. —Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 27 June 2025

In February 2017, less than a week after a Yayoi Kusama exhibition opened at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, an attendee trying to take a selfie lost their balance and fell onto one of the artist’s pumpkin sculptures, lightly damaging it. —Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025

Participants rated some scents, such as pumpkin pie spice and baby powder, as highly evocative of nostalgia, while rating others – such as money and cappuccino –as less evocative. —Chelsea Reid, The Conversation, 17 June 2025

Look out for friendly ghosts and pumpkin pals peeking out from ceramic figurines, skeleton throw pillows, and cat lamps. —Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier pumpion, modification of French popon, pompon melon, pumpkin, from Latin pepon-, pepo, from Greek pepōn, from pepōn ripened; akin to Greek pessein to cook, ripen — more at cook

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pumpkin

• Japanese pumpkin
• kabocha pumpkin
• kobocha pumpkin
• pumpkin pie spice
• pumpkin spice
• pumpkin spiced

Rhymes for pumpkin

• bumpkin
• lumpkin

Kids Definition

pumpkin

noun

pump·​kin ˈpəm(p)-kən 

1

: the usually round orange fruit of a vine of the gourd family widely used as food

also : a fruit (as a crookneck squash) of a closely related vine

2

: a usually hairy prickly vine that produces pumpkins

3

: a strong orange color

Medical Definition

pumpkin

noun

pump·​kin ˈpəm(p)-kən 

: the usually round orange fruit of a vine (Cucurbita pepo) of the gourd family that is widely cultivated as food and is the source of pepo