pumpkin spice

noun

variants or less commonly pumpkin pie spice

: a mixture of usually cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and often allspice that is commonly used in pumpkin pie

Pumpkin spice is everywhere, and at this point you simply give in to the pounds you'll potentially gain from all the glorious spreads during the holidays.

—Chris Scott

By mixing in a few simple ingredients with pumpkin—think vanilla yogurt, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and a sprinkling of graham cracker—you create a velvety pumpkin pie experience in a matter of seconds.

—Erika Chayes Wida

—often used before another noun

It's that time of year again—holiday decorations festoon the lampposts and store windows, the smell of pumpkin spice lattes pervades the air, and the chill of winter has settled in …

—Lee Hutchinson

With sweet potato pie, the same pumpkin pie spice blend … is used along with the pre-baked crust.

—WSOCTV.com

Examples of pumpkin spice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, the growth in the number of establishments selling caramel apple and apple pie dwarfed pumpkin spice’s advance. — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Funkier flavors Consumers are generally moving away from pumpkin spice and trying funkier flavors. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026

All three of those autumnal signals – coupled with a pumpkin spice latte, of course – give fall its unique feel and look. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Barissimo Oat Milk Pumpkin Lattes With pumpkin spice latte season here, sometimes having a personal stash in your fridge is easier than making a trip to your local coffee spot. — Danielle Bouchard, Martha Stewart, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pumpkin spice

• imprecise
• sacrifice
• advice
• allspice
• concise
• device
• entice
• excise
• fordyce
• precise
• suffice
• dice