Halloween

noun

Hal·​low·​een ˌha-lə-ˈwēn  ˌhä- 

variants or less commonly Hallowe'en

: October 31 observed especially with dressing up in disguise, trick-or-treating, and displaying jack-o'-lanterns during the evening

Examples of Halloween in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beauchamp, a college student, was last seen leaving a Halloween Party in Sacramento with Travis Air Force Base Airman Juan Parra-Peralta and another airman in the early morning of Oct. 30, 2021. —Christine Pelisek, People.com, 21 Jan. 2025

The Halloween actress shared a poem by Loryn Brantz titled Inauguration 2025. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025

Jill Biden, an advocate for the panda diplomacy, dressed in a panda costume for Halloween. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 19 Jan. 2025

In a similar manner, entrepreneurship is less of a marathon and more akin to filling your bucket with candy on Halloween. —Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for All Hallow Even (All Saints' Eve)

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Halloween

noun

Hal·​low·​een ˌhal-ə-ˈwēn  ˌhäl- 

: October 31 celebrated especially by wearing costumes, trick-or-treating, and displaying jack-o'-lanterns

Etymology

an altered form of All Hallow Even, the eve of All Saints' Day

Word Origin

Modern-day Christians know the first of November as All Saints' Day. In the Middle Ages it was called All Hallow Day. This was a hallowed or holy day celebrated in honor of all the saints in heaven. Since November 1 was a special holy day with a special name, the day before it had a special name as well. October 31 was called All Hallow Eve or All Hallow Even. The words eve and even were used both for the evening and the day before a special day. This name was sometimes written All Hallow E'en and later shortened to Halloween.