Halloween

noun

Hal·​low·​een ˌha-lə-ˈwēn  ˌhä- 

variants or less commonly Hallowe'en

: October 31 observed especially with dressing up in disguise, trick-or-treating, and displaying jack-o'-lanterns during the evening

Examples of Halloween in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Misterio trained multiple wrestlers who went on to have impactful and long-lasting careers, including Rey Mysterio, El Hijo de Rey Misterio, Konnan, Psicosis, Halloween, and Damian 666. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024

In one typical incident last Halloween, a man was approached by two scammers who asked him for money. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2024

But over the years, competition stacked up at Walmart, Target, Spirit Halloween and especially online sellers such as Amazon. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024

Henry Hinson is the 11-year-old who went viral in October after his mom, Erin Hinson, posted a Tiktok of him in his Halloween costume. —Bryan West, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for All Hallow Even (All Saints' Eve)

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Halloween

noun

Hal·​low·​een ˌhal-ə-ˈwēn  ˌhäl- 

: October 31 celebrated especially by wearing costumes, trick-or-treating, and displaying jack-o'-lanterns

Etymology

an altered form of All Hallow Even, the eve of All Saints' Day

Word Origin

Modern-day Christians know the first of November as All Saints' Day. In the Middle Ages it was called All Hallow Day. This was a hallowed or holy day celebrated in honor of all the saints in heaven. Since November 1 was a special holy day with a special name, the day before it had a special name as well. October 31 was called All Hallow Eve or All Hallow Even. The words eve and even were used both for the evening and the day before a special day. This name was sometimes written All Hallow E'en and later shortened to Halloween.