Thanksgiving – key vocabulary you need to know  

Thanksgiving is a popular holiday in the United States. People typically celebrate it by gathering with family and friends for a special meal. The holiday is about being thankful, sharing with others and spending time with people you love. Here are some important words and phrases related to Thanksgiving that you can use to talk about the holiday. 

Thanksgiving vocabulary  

Harvest (n)

First, some Thanksgiving background. Thanksgiving originally celebrated the successful harvest season. The harvest is the time of year when farmers pick crops, like fruits and vegetables, from the fields. 

• In the past, Thanksgiving was a way to celebrate the harvest before winter arrived.
• The first harvest feast was shared in 1621. 

Gratitude (n)

Gratitude means being thankful and appreciating what you have. Expressing gratitude is an important part of Thanksgiving.

• On Thanksgiving, people often share what they feel gratitude for, such as family, health and happiness.
• I have a lot of gratitude for what you did for me. 

Tradition (n)

Tradition means customs, things or beliefs which are passed down through generations in a family. For example, Thanksgiving traditions might include eating a family meal then watching a sports game afterwards, or having a family meal and going for a walk or playing family games. 

• It’s a tradition in my family to go around the table and say what we’re thankful for.
• We want to make new traditions now that we have our own children.

Feast (n)

A feast is a large meal with lots of food. The word feast isn’t specific to Thanksgiving – it simply means a large meal prepared for a special occasion. Thanksgiving dinner is often considered a feast.

• We had a Thanksgiving feast with turkey, mashed potatoes, and lots of different desserts.

• That was a feast – I’m so full! 

Turkey (n) 

Turkey is the main dish at most Thanksgiving meals in the USA. Turkey is a large bird that you roast in the oven and eat alongside different side dishes like vegetables and potatoes. A fun piece of Thanksgiving trivia is that it is estimated that 46 million turkeys are eaten in the US around Thanksgiving!

• We have a big turkey on the table every Thanksgiving. 
• Some people like to eat turkey at Thanksgiving and at Christmas. 

Stuffing (n)

Stuffing is something that some people eat on a Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a mixture of bread, herbs and vegetables mixed together and often cooked inside the turkey or separately. 

• We always have sage and onion stuffing. 

• Make sure you use chicken broth when you make the stuffing. 

Pumpkin pie (n)

Pumpkin pie is a traditional Thanksgiving dessert made from pumpkins. It’s usually sweet and has a warm, spicy flavour.

• My grandmother makes the best pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

• Have you ever tried pumpkin pie?

Leftovers (plural n)

Leftovers are the food that remains after a meal. Many people enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers for several days after the holiday. You can have leftovers or eat leftovers. 

• I love making turkey sandwiches with the Thanksgiving leftovers.

• Not another day of eating leftovers! 

 

Other important Thanksgiving background information

Since 1924, the department store Macy’s has put on a parade in New York City. It’s called the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

During the parade, people march and perform, alongside giant things called floats which are characters, scenes or other large decorations which move along the path of the parade. 

• We watched the Thanksgiving parade on TV before sitting down for dinner.

• The Macy’s parade is the world’s largest and second-oldest parade. 

Every Thanksgiving, there are American football games on TV. A fun piece of Thanksgiving trivia is that the first Thanksgiving American football game was in 1876. American football is where two teams compete against each other to try and score points by getting a football into the opposing team’s end of the field, but it’s completely different to what we know as ‘football’ in the UK. 

• After dinner, we watched the Thanksgiving Day football game together as a family.

• Who’s playing the game on Thanksgiving?

 

Learning Thanksgiving vocabulary can help you better understand the holiday and have conversations about the food and traditions. You can also read this blog to learn about the differences between US English and British English. Happy Thanksgiving!

What do you know about Thanksgiving? Do you know any other traditions? Share your ideas in the comments!

 

Activity

Match the word or phrase to the correct meaning. 

1. Pumpkin pie
2. A feast
3. American football
4. A parade
5. Stuffing
6. Leftovers
7. Floats
8. Tradition

 

1. 1. When entertainers walk, dance and march down the street 
   2. A dessert made of an orange-coloured vegetable 
   3. Large things that are in a parade
   4. A very large meal 
   5. The remaining food
   6. Something you eat which goes inside a Turkey 
   7. Something people always do, often for generations
   8. A sport that has a game on Thanksgiving day 

 

Answers

1. B
2. D
3. H
4. A
5. F
6. E
7. C
8. G

 

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Billie Jago is an ELT writer and teacher trainer specialising in digital learning materials and assessment resources. She has written for various well-known coursebooks, and writes items for high stakes exams such as the PTE, OTE, IELTS and Cambridge. Alongside materials writing, she delivers international teacher training sessions and is the founder of the ELTcpd professional development platform and YouTube channel. She is also the co-founder of the educational consultancy, OtterEducation.