trick or treat
noun
a children's Halloween custom, in which they call on neighbors, using this phrase, and threaten to play a trick if a treat is not given.
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Origin of trick or treat
First recorded in 1940–45
Words nearby trick or treat
trickle charger, trickle-down, trickle-down theory, trickle irrigation, trickle-up, trick or treat, trick out, tricks of the trade, tricksome, trickster, tricksy
Definition for trick or treat (2 of 2)
trick-or-treat
[ trik-er-treet ]
/ ˈtrɪk ərˈtrit /
verb (used without object)
to become involved or take part in trick or treat.
Origin of trick-or-treat
First recorded in 1940–45
OTHER WORDS FROM trick-or-treat
trick-or-treater, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for trick or treat
trick or treat
sentence substitute
mainly US and Canadian the cry by children at Halloween when they call at houses, indicating that they want a present or money or else they will play a trick on the householder
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with trick or treat
trick or treat
A greeting by children asking for treats on Halloween and threatening to play a trick on those who refuse to give them. For example, The children went from house to house, shouting “Trick or treat!” [c. 1940]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.