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:
There was also another complication for consumers expecting professionally carved chocolate: Packaging included in the court’s opinion labels the jack-o’-lantern image a “DECORATING SUGGESTION.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
His trophy had a jack-o’-lantern on it because it was Halloween.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2023
Leaving the stem intact helps a jack-o’-lantern last.
From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2022
Rain falling on your jack-o’-lantern will invite every mold in the neighborhood to take up residency in or on it.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 19, 2022
We passed one grave, a child’s, from which grinned a faded plastic jack-o’-lantern.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
That farm grows pumpkins on 500 acres, mostly for decorations like jack-o’-lanterns.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
I had gotten up early on that Saturday to hang orange streamers and balloons shaped like jack-o’-lanterns and black cats from my apartment walls.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 29, 2022
Their use in altars and general decorations is becoming as much a part of the fall landscape in Southern California and beyond as jack-o’-lanterns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2022
We don't typically associate the two: Zonkey is the term for a rarely-seen zebra-donkey hybrid, while pumpkins are associated with Halloween jack-o'-lanterns, delicious desserts and trendy beverages.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2022
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
