Halloween
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is Halloween? Halloween is a holiday on October 31 that’s essentially a celebration of spooky and scary stuff, like ghosts, witches, monsters, and haunted houses. It’s traditionally celebrated by dressing in costumes, decorating with things like jack-o’-lanterns (carved pumpkins) and fake spiderwebs, and trick or treating—going door to door to collect candy or other treats from people who are giving it out. The trick part of trick or treat is a reference to the pranks that kids sometimes play on Halloween. Halloween is especially celebrated by children, but teens and adults commonly celebrate it, too, such as by having parties (often costume parties), watching scary movies, giving out candy to kids, eating some of that candy, and then eating some of the candy that kids bring home. Halloween is a secular (nonreligious) holiday, but its name has roots in the Christian holiday Allhallows, better known as All Saints’ Day. Another name for Halloween is Allhallows Eve (the night before Allhallows). Halloween is commonly used as a modifier in phrases like Halloween costume, Halloween party, Halloween candy, and Halloween night. Example: Don’t give me this trunk or treat stuff—I want a classic Halloween, with trick or treating and haunted houses and my neighbor disguising himself as a stuffed scarecrow so he can pop up and scare kids when they try to take more than one piece of candy from the bowl.
Etymology
Origin of Halloween
First recorded in 1550–60; (All)hallow(s) + e(v)en 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bhekisani Matabiswana, 27, did not know his victim but both had attended a Halloween party at Rosemount Working Men's Club in the town that night.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
The Jackson 5 had their own Saturday morning cartoon and branded products; the title track of “Thriller” will always pop up on or around Halloween.
From Salon • May 14, 2026
Meieran opened it for special events such as last Halloween, but it has otherwise been closed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Those who plan to mechanically follow this seasonal pattern over the next 12 months will be reducing their equity exposure at the end of April and restoring that exposure this coming Halloween.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
I didn’t know what Halloween was, but it sure sounded scary, especially when they talked about bringing bats and witches and even worse—cats—right into the classroom!
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
