pumpkin
Americannoun
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a large, edible, orange-yellow fruit borne by a coarse, decumbent vine, Cucurbita pepo, of the gourd family.
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the similar fruit of any of several related species, as C. maxima or C. moschata.
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a plant bearing such fruit.
noun
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any of several creeping cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Cucurbita, esp C. pepo of North America and C. maxima of Europe
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the large round fruit of any of these plants, which has a thick orange rind, pulpy flesh, and numerous seeds
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( as modifier )
pumpkin pie
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(often capital) a term of endearment
Etymology
Origin of pumpkin
1640–50; alteration of pumpion ( see -kin), variant of pompon < Middle French, nasalized variant of popon melon, earlier pepon < Latin pepōn- (stem of pepō ) < Greek pépōn kind of melon
Explanation
A pumpkin is a round, orange type of squash that grows on a plant also called a pumpkin. It’s the raw material for a jack-o’-lantern. Cook one up in a pie or name your precious poodle after it. Pumpkins are most commonly harvested in the fall, and they're often associated with Halloween, when people traditionally hollow them out and carve faces on them. Pumpkin is delicious in sweet and savory foods, and pumpkin pie is a popular Thanksgiving dessert in the US. The word was originally pompone, from the Greek root pepon, "melon," or literally, "cooked by the sun."
Vocabulary lists containing pumpkin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pumpkin cake layered with a tart cream-cheese ganache, dipped in white chocolate and painted in orange sugar, from a celebrated confectioner.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025
One runner, Monica Pumpkin, who is originally from Botswana, handed him and his wife yellow roses to thank him for his support during his presidency.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025
He had announced that the haunt would be moving to a new Riverside location, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, where it would operate in tandem with the Perris Pumpkin Patch.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025
The duo started the Curated Pumpkin in 2024, styling pumpkins on porches across Southern California.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025
When the box was complete, Smith tacked up Seabiscuit and Pumpkin, pushed Woolf up onto the former, swung himself onto the latter, and took them toward the track, carrying the box with him.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
