jack-o'-lantern
Americannoun
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a hollowed pumpkin with openings cut to represent human eyes, nose, and mouth and in which a candle or other light may be placed, traditionally made for display at Halloween.
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a commercially made lantern resembling this.
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any phenomenon of light, as a corona discharge or an ignis fatuus.
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a poisonous luminescent orange fungus, Omphalotus olearius, often found in clusters at the base of hardwood tree stumps.
noun
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a lantern made from a hollowed pumpkin, which has holes cut in it to represent a human face
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a will-o'-the-wisp or similar phenomenon
Etymology
Origin of jack-o'-lantern
First recorded in 1655–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His trophy had a jack-o’-lantern on it because it was Halloween.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2023
As the popularity of items like theirs Knuckle Head Pumpkins reveals, Super Freak pumpkins are amazing jack-o'-lantern material.
From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022
These events are essentially like run-of-the-mill jack-o’-lantern carving festivities — contestants get pumpkins, carving tools and an hour to finish their masterpieces — except they happen entirely underwater.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022
Leaving the stem intact helps a jack-o’-lantern last.
From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2022
The air smelled of wet leaves, and our carved jack-o’-lantern flickered impressively against the shrubbery by the door.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
