What does Halloween mean?

Definitions for Halloween
ˌhæl əˈwin, -oʊˈin, ˌhɒl-hal·loween

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Halloween.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Halloween, Hallowe'en, Allhallows Evenoun

    the evening before All Saints' Day; often devoted to pranks played by young people

Wiktionary

  1. Halloweennoun

    The eve of All Hallows' Day; 31st October; celebrated (mostly in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States and Ireland) by children going door-to-door in costume and demanding candy with menaces.

  2. Etymology: A shortening of Allhallow-even (Eve of All Saints).

Wikipedia

  1. Halloween

    Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.One theory holds that many Halloween traditions were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which are believed to have pagan roots. Some go further and suggest that Samhain may have been Christianized as All Hallow's Day, along with its eve, by the early Church. Other academics believe Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day. Celebrated in Ireland and Scotland for centuries, Irish and Scottish immigrants took many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century, and then through American influence Halloween had spread to other countries by the late 20th and early 21st century.Popular Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror or Halloween-themed films. Some people practice the Christian religious observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, although it is a secular celebration for others. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

ChatGPT

  1. halloween

    Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31st, originating from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain. The holiday is characterized by activities like trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns, bonfires, visiting haunted houses, and participating in various festive gatherings. The occasion is often associated with themes of horror, death, magic and mythical creatures. It is recognized in many Western countries, and is especially popular in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Halloweennoun

    the evening preceding Allhallows or All Saints' Day

Freebase

  1. Halloween

    Halloween or Hallowe'en, also known as All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows and the day initiating the triduum of Hallowmas. According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianised feast originally influenced by western European harvest festivals, and festivals of the dead with possible pagan roots, particularly the Celtic Samhain. Other scholars maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots. Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

Suggested Resources

  1. halloween

    Song lyrics by halloween -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by halloween on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce Halloween?

How to say Halloween in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Halloween in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Halloween in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of Halloween in a Sentence

  1. Alicia Au:

    Halloween is now embraced in Kuala Lumpur (the cosmopolitan capital of Malaysia), lots of malls will sell Halloween-related merchandise and bars will put up decorations. However, there is not so much trick or treating for the kids. I just don’t think that idea has caught on yet.

  2. Mireille Schwartz:

    Checking labels becomes very pivotal because during the holidays, including Halloween, when the manufacturers make those mini small-sized candies and they're often mass-produced on shared equipment, candy that's safe other times of the year might not be safe during Halloween.

  3. Allan Zeman:

    This year is not a night that This Halloween people're going to be counting how much money This Halloween people can make on Halloween, i'll be really happy when it's over, just to get through it.

  4. Limpsync:

    Singing is a little bit like the Halloween of emotions. It allows us to put on any costume we want; to become any character we need to express at any given moment; to instantly feel better and to do so in a way that is generally more publicly acceptable.

  5. Michelle Carlbert:

    I love Halloween because it makes me happy and because it reminds me of all the wonderful times I had celebrating Halloween as a child, that's how my love of Halloween began, but it's become so much more than just those early memories for me. Over the years, I've created even more fun and amazing times wrapped around the holiday.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Halloween#1#5691#10000

Translations for Halloween

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for Halloween »

Translation

Find a translation for the Halloween definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Halloween." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 22 Sep. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Halloween>.

Discuss these Halloween definitions with the community:

1 Comment
  • Sandy Thomas
    Sandy Thomas
    Halloween
    Halloween or Hallowe'en, also known as All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows and the day initiating the triduum of Hallowmas. According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianised feast originally influenced by western European harvest festivals, and festivals of the dead with possible pagan roots, particularly the Celtic Samhain. Other scholars maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots. Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. 
    LikeReply 28 years ago

Are we missing a good definition for Halloween? Don't keep it to yourself...

Image or illustration of

Halloween

Credit »

Free, no signup required:

Add to Chrome

Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

Free, no signup required:

Add to Firefox

Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

Browse Definitions.net

Quiz

Are you a words master?

»
a natural talent
  • A. arborolatry
  • B. flair
  • C. abandon
  • D. hunch

Nearby & related entries:

Alternative searches for Halloween: