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
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The solving of the murder is quite straightforward, particularly after last week’s merry-go-round of visits to places Mac visited on Halloween night.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
Read Next: Iowa Farmer Takes a Break from Combining to Tag a 30-Point Behemoth Buck
Halloween morning was cool and bright, and there was good wind for hunting that afternoon.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
During the Halloween Nightmares episode last week, there was a shocking elimination after a fan-favorite couple went home despite winning their dance-off and receiving a high score.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
Last week’s theme, Halloween Nightmares Night, saw the seven remaining couples deliver standout routines to spooky tunes.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
Read Next: Iowa Farmer Takes a Break from Combining to Tag a 30-Point Behemoth Buck
Halloween morning was cool and bright, and there was good wind for hunting that afternoon.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
During the Halloween Nightmares episode last week, there was a shocking elimination after a fan-favorite couple went home despite winning their dance-off and receiving a high score.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
Last week’s theme, Halloween Nightmares Night, saw the seven remaining couples deliver standout routines to spooky tunes.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Halloween
Dictionary Entries Near Halloween
Cite this Entry
“Halloween.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Halloween. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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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