jack-o'-lantern
Americannoun
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jack-o'-lanterns
plural
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a hollowed pumpkin with openings cut to represent human eyes, nose, and mouth and in which a candle or other light may be placed, traditionally made for display at Halloween.
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a commercially made lantern resembling this.
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any phenomenon of light, as a corona discharge or an ignis fatuus.
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a poisonous luminescent orange fungus, Omphalotus olearius, often found in clusters at the base of hardwood tree stumps.
noun
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a lantern made from a hollowed pumpkin, which has holes cut in it to represent a human face
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a will-o'-the-wisp or similar phenomenon
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of jack-o'-lantern
First recorded in 1655–65
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.
See Examples For:
As the popularity of items like theirs Knuckle Head Pumpkins reveals, Super Freak pumpkins are amazing jack-o'-lantern material.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2022
“I’m David Pumpkins,” Hanks — dressed in a jack-o'-lantern suit — announced to cheers from the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2022
The aquatic jack-o’-lantern tradition is part of that.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2022
Leaving the stem intact helps a jack-o’-lantern last.
From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2022
Something about the way his cheeks puffed out when he smiled made him look like a jack-o’-lantern.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
That farm grows pumpkins on 500 acres, mostly for decorations like jack-o’-lanterns.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
From jack-o'-lanterns glowing on porches to costumes ranging from the whimsical to the gory, Halloween is a time of playful scares, childhood memories and, of course, candy.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2024
“My dad was always doing really outlandish jack-o’-lanterns, like, turning them upside down.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2023
Are those blazing jack-o’-lanterns on the road or did 5,000 pumpkins go up in flames on the 5 Freeway?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
By the time we’re putting the final touches on our jack-o’-lanterns, little bands of trick-or-treaters have started pinballing around the village.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
