jack-o'-lantern
Americannoun
-
jack-o'-lanterns
plural
-
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.
-
a commercially made lantern resembling this.
-
any phenomenon of light, as a corona discharge or an ignis fatuus.
-
a poisonous luminescent orange fungus, Omphalotus olearius, often found in clusters at the base of hardwood tree stumps.
noun
-
a lantern made from a hollowed pumpkin, which has holes cut in it to represent a human face
-
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:
“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
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
These events are essentially like run-of-the-mill jack-o’-lantern carving festivities — contestants get pumpkins, carving tools and an hour to finish their masterpieces — except they happen entirely underwater.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 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
When I returned, holding the heavy bag at the bottom so it wouldn’t split, Dad and Brian were arguing over the plastic jack-o’-lantern filled with green plastic army soldiers that Brian wanted to bring.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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
If you’re the type who thrills to a chill up your spine and can’t wait to dive into the spooky vibes of the season, you want to create a next-level atmosphere beyond ghosts and jack-o’-lanterns.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
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
Those jack-o’-lanterns don’t have to end up in the local landfill.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 31, 2022
Finally, we decide we have to start our jack-o’-lanterns if we want to get done before dark.
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.
