pumpkin

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A large round orange vegetable with a thick skin that grows on a vine and is cooked or baked.

   Grammar: Countable when you mean a whole one (a pumpkin, two pumpkins); uncountable when you mean the food (some pumpkin, pumpkin soup).

   Patterns

   • a pumpkin pie
   • roast pumpkin
   • pumpkin soup

   We grew two big pumpkins in the garden this year.

   She made a warm pumpkin soup for lunch.

   Roast the pumpkin with a little oil and salt.

2. 2nouncountable

   A pumpkin hollowed out and carved as a lantern, especially at Halloween.

   Grammar: Countable; often in the phrase 'carve a pumpkin' or 'pumpkin lantern'.

   Patterns

   • carve a pumpkin
   • a pumpkin lantern

   The children carved a pumpkin and put a candle inside.

   We put the lit pumpkin on the porch for Halloween.

3. 3nouncountableinformalhumorous

   A term of affection for a loved one, especially a child.

   Grammar: Countable but used like a name; usually with 'my' or as a direct address.

   Patterns

   • my pumpkin
   • come here, pumpkin

   Come on, pumpkin, it's time for bed.

   He calls his daughter 'pumpkin' when he's being playful.

Word forms

Common combinations

pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie is a traditional dessert at Thanksgiving.

carve a pumpkin

We always carve a pumpkin the night before Halloween.

pumpkin seeds

She toasted the pumpkin seeds in the oven.

pumpkin soup

This pumpkin soup has a little ginger in it.

a field of pumpkins

In autumn the farm becomes a field of pumpkins.

Synonyms and how they differ

squash

Squash is the wider family name for many similar vegetables; a pumpkin is one large orange kind of squash.

gourd

Gourd is a broader word for hard-skinned fruits, often used for decoration rather than eating; pumpkin is the familiar edible kind.

Word family

pumpkinseed noun

The flat green seed of a pumpkin, often eaten roasted or salted.

Commonly confused: pumpkin or pump kin?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pumpkin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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