Halloween
noun
Hal·low·een
ˌha-lə-ˈwēn 
ˌhä-
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
But if the team struggles early in its quest to return to respectability, the time to point forward is probably closer to Halloween than next April.
—
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
Henry Winkler flashes a dazzling smile while attending the Midsummer Scream Halloween & Horror Convention on Aug. 17.
Taika Waititi celebrates his 50th birthday with wife Rita Ora in Ibiza, Spain, on Aug. 16.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The Almanac said the Southwest could experience unsettled, showery conditions on Halloween this year.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Although not technically a Halloween film, Hotel Transylvania features tons of our favorite supernatural myths (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc;) in a way that’s fun and approachable for kids to enjoy.
—Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 5 Aug. 2025
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Zac Jackson, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
Henry Winkler flashes a dazzling smile while attending the Midsummer Scream Halloween & Horror Convention on Aug. 17.
Taika Waititi celebrates his 50th birthday with wife Rita Ora in Ibiza, Spain, on Aug. 16.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The Almanac said the Southwest could experience unsettled, showery conditions on Halloween this year.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Although not technically a Halloween film, Hotel Transylvania features tons of our favorite supernatural myths (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc;) in a way that’s fun and approachable for kids to enjoy.
—Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Halloween
Cite this Entry
“Halloween.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Halloween. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Halloween
noun
Hal·low·een
ˌhal-ə-ˈwēn
ˌhäl-
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.
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