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
To be fair, Sheeran once dressed up as Grint's signature HP character, Ron Weasley, for Halloween.
—
Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The Halloween vinyl drop will bring most Cindy Lee albums back into print for the first time in years.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 Aug. 2025
Participants for the public performance are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes, especially those with a zombie theme.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Not least, Mailman is a lament for the decline of service as an American ideal—for the cultural twilight of the Halloween job: those occupations, such as police officer, firefighter, Marine, and, yes, postal worker, whose worth is not measured first and foremost in dollars but in public esteem.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
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Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The Halloween vinyl drop will bring most Cindy Lee albums back into print for the first time in years.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 Aug. 2025
Participants for the public performance are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes, especially those with a zombie theme.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Not least, Mailman is a lament for the decline of service as an American ideal—for the cultural twilight of the Halloween job: those occupations, such as police officer, firefighter, Marine, and, yes, postal worker, whose worth is not measured first and foremost in dollars but in public esteem.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 1 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 5 Aug. 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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