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
Girl + Hair has grown to include more than a dozen products—with healthy ingredients, like pumpkin seed and rosemary oil, that strengthen and promote hair growth and encourage women with all curl patterns to rock their natural hair with greater ease.
—
Kizzy Cox, Essence, 7 Apr. 2025
After carving your pumpkin, smear some petroleum jelly along the inside and the cut edges to keep mold from growing and delay rotting until all the trick-or-treaters are gone.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
Gourd, jackfruit and pumpkin in a display cooler measured outside of the correct holding temperature.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
The same serving of roasted pumpkin seeds packs 156 milligrams, or 37% of the DV.23
Nuts and seeds are also packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals.
—Johna Burdeos, Health, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pumpkin
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Kizzy Cox, Essence, 7 Apr. 2025
After carving your pumpkin, smear some petroleum jelly along the inside and the cut edges to keep mold from growing and delay rotting until all the trick-or-treaters are gone.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
Gourd, jackfruit and pumpkin in a display cooler measured outside of the correct holding temperature.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
The same serving of roasted pumpkin seeds packs 156 milligrams, or 37% of the DV.23
Nuts and seeds are also packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals.
—Johna Burdeos, Health, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pumpkin
Cite this Entry
“Pumpkin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pumpkin. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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