all-nighter

American  

[awl-nahy-ter] / ˈɔlˈnaɪ tər /

noun

Informal.

1. something that lasts, is available, or is open for business throughout the night.

   The poker game turned into an all-nighter. Are any of the grocery stores all-nighters?

2. an act of staying up all night, as to study or finish a task.

   I had to pull an all-nighter to get the paper done on time.

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all-nighter British  

/ ˌɔːlˈnaɪtə /

noun

1. an entertainment, such as a pop concert or film screening, that lasts all night

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Etymology

Origin of all-nighter

1890–95; all night + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

all-nighter

The downtown dance party featuring electronic music by John Summit this spring wasn’t the typical all-nighter for Carson Gillaspia, a content creator who enjoys going to festivals and raves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Aditya Sharma recently went to bed at 6 a.m. after an all-nighter with his crew of generative-AI bots—systems that plan and execute multistep tasks like pulling data and writing code.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Writing in a desperate junk-food-fueled all-nighter, Sally appears to have entered a manic phase.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

“I pulled almost an all-nighter last night, so he’s been keeping us up,” he said, exhaling a light chuckle.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025

The sky is still Pepsi-black, and I wonder if Libby’s asleep right now, if she pulled an all-nighter decorating the porch for Halloween tonight.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle