Halloween

American  

[hal-uh-ween, -oh-een, hol-] / ˌhæl əˈwin, -oʊˈin, ˌhɒl- /

Or Hallowe'en

noun

1. the evening of October 31; the eve of All Saints' Day; Allhallows Eve: observed especially by children in costumes who solicit treats, often by threatening minor pranks.

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Halloween British  

/ ˌhæləʊˈiːn /

noun

1. the eve of All Saints' Day celebrated on Oct 31 by masquerading; Allhallows Eve

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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

But a 2009 research paper, “The Halloween Effect in U.S. Sectors,” analyzed a similar seasonal sector-rotation strategy going back to 1926 and reached a similar conclusion.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Should cocoa prices continue to trade at their current levels, then analysts believe that consumer prices may start to ease in the second half of the year—potentially before Halloween rolls around.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"I guarantee after these astronauts fly around the moon, you're going to have more kids dressing up as astronauts for Halloween," Isaacman said during a recent television interview.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

And while the stories of Poe lend themselves to the Halloween season, spooky events increasingly occur year round.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

It had just been a Halloween zombie in the bathtub.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff