pump·kin
| \ ˈpəm(p)-kən
, nonstandard ˈpəŋ-kən
\
, nonstandard ˈpəŋ-kən
\
Definition of pumpkin
1a
: a fruit of any of various cultivars of herbaceous plants (Cucurbita pepo, C. maxima, C. moschata, and C. mixta synonym 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
Loves to cook and makes a signature pumpkin chili each autumn. — Kaitlyn Bartley, The Mercury News, "Why is California spending $187 million on the 2020 Census? We ask Secretary of State Alex Padilla," 15 Aug. 2019 This October may be the last year the view south of I-10 across from the Heights is a giant orange pumpkin. — Nancy Sarnoff, Houston Chronicle, "Landmark Party Boy property hits the market for $10.5M," 12 Aug. 2019 In addition to seeing the changing colors, passengers will receive a Halloween pumpkin. — Micah Walker, Detroit Free Press, "All aboard: Experience fall colors on these historic trains in Michigan," 11 Aug. 2019 And what's better than being surprised with a Reese's shaped like a pumpkin pre-Halloween? — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Halloween Advent Calendars Are Officially a Thing, And I'm Ready For Fall to Start Right Now," 1 Aug. 2019 Guests were invited to sit and be transported to fairytale land inside the metal carriage shaped like a pumpkin. — Ramona Sentinel, "AnomaR guests create their own works of art," 1 July 2019 Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden presided over the ball — and no one turned into a pumpkin. — Evelyn Hockstein, Washington Post, "A ball fit for Cinderella at the Library of Congress as the National Film Registry inducts the classic film," 23 June 2019 Prize Fish Template Trace the fish template on the side of a mini pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. — Country Living Staff, Country Living, "40+ Halloween Templates for Your Craftiest October Yet," 5 Sep. 2018 The respective children of two rival bakers fall in love while preparing to compete against each other in a pumpkin pie contest. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pumpkin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for pumpkin
pumpkin
noun
pump·kin
| \ ˈpəmp-kən
\
\
Kids Definition of pumpkin
: a usually large round orange fruit of a vine related to the squash and cucumber that is used for food or decoration
pumpkin
noun
pump·kin
| \ ˈpəm(p)-kən
\
\
Medical Definition of pumpkin
: 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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