jack-o'-lantern

noun

jack-o'-lan·​tern ˈja-kə-ˌlan-tərn 

1

: a lantern made of a pumpkin usually cut to resemble a human face

2

: any of several large orangish gill fungi (genus Omphalotus) that are poisonous and luminescent

3

: ignis fatuus

Examples of jack-o'-lantern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When most of us think about edible seeds, our minds usually jump to chia seeds stirred into smoothies or overnight oats, pumpkin seeds roasted after carving jack-o'-lanterns each fall, or sunflower seeds chewed and spit out at a baseball game. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

The bucket, which appears to be a plastic jack-o'-lantern, may seem like a laughing matter to some, but not Karen Bloch. — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026

Another sweet scene captured on camera showed the two pointing out a shop window decorated with various Halloween items, including a skull and jack-o'-lantern. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

Patsy Weigel loves to decorate for the spooky season with skulls, skeletons, jack-o'-lanterns and other creepy figures. — Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for jack-o'-lantern

• lantern

Kids Definition

jack-o'-lantern

noun

jack-o'-lan·​tern

ˈjak-ə-ˌlant-ərn

: a lantern made of a pumpkin usually cut to look like a face