Halloween

noun

Hal·​low·​een ˌha-lə-ˈwēn How to pronounce Halloween (audio) ˌhä- How to pronounce Halloween (audio)
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
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The first time was on the Halloween that immediately followed my divorce. Hannah Pittard, People.com, 8 July 2025 Vigil was also named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in October by the family of another teen whose wrist was broken in an assault at the Halloween party. Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025 Inside, amid Halloween decor and a capacity crowd, the Grateful Dead played four hours despite guitarist-vocalist Bob Weir reportedly feeling under the weather. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025 The last thing an attorney general should be doing is soliciting reports about controversial artwork and Halloween costumes. Tj Martinell, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for Halloween

Word History

Etymology

short for All Hallow Even (All Saints' Eve)

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Halloween was circa 1700

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Cite this Entry

“Halloween.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Halloween. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

Halloween

noun
Hal·​low·​een ˌhal-ə-ˈwēn How to pronounce Halloween (audio) ˌhäl- How to pronounce Halloween (audio)
: 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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