Meaning & use
pumpkin spice
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A mix of warm spices, usually cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, used to flavor pumpkin pie and many autumn foods and drinks.
Grammar: A mass noun: a teaspoon of pumpkin spice.
Patterns
- a teaspoon of pumpkin spice
- flavored with pumpkin spice
I stirred a teaspoon of pumpkin spice into the pancake batter.
The kitchen smelled of pumpkin spice and warm bread.
She dusted the top of the muffins with pumpkin spice.
noununcountableinformal
The flavor or seasonal trend linked to this spice mix, found in drinks, snacks and other products every autumn.
Grammar: Often used before another noun: a pumpkin spice latte.
Patterns
- pumpkin spice season
- pumpkin spice everything
As soon as September arrives, the shops are full of pumpkin spice.
My friends love pumpkin spice, but I prefer plain coffee.
There is pumpkin spice cereal, pumpkin spice candles and even pumpkin spice dog treats.
Common combinations
- pumpkin spice latte
- She ordered a pumpkin spice latte on the first cool morning.
- pumpkin spice season
- For many people, pumpkin spice season starts in September.
- pumpkin spice flavor
- The cookies have a mild pumpkin spice flavor.
- pumpkin spice blend
- You can make a pumpkin spice blend at home from basic spices.
- add pumpkin spice
- Add pumpkin spice to the oatmeal for a cozy breakfast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pumpkin pie spice
- This is the longer, more formal name used on spice jars, while pumpkin spice is the shorter everyday form.
- autumn spice
- Autumn spice is a looser marketing term that may suggest other flavors, such as apple, whereas pumpkin spice means the specific blend.
- mixed spice
- Mixed spice is a British blend with similar ingredients, but it is traditionally linked to Christmas baking rather than to pumpkin flavors.
Word family
Commonly confused: pumpkin spice or spicy?
pumpkin spice vs spicy
Pumpkin spice is warm and sweet, not hot, so it is not spicy in the sense of chili heat.
Practice
What is the main idea behind pumpkin spice?
Choose one answer.
Pumpkin spice is a warm, sweet blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Chili sauce is tempting because of the word spice, but the blend is not hot.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pumpkin spice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.