Home UK English trick or treat

Meaning of trick or treat in English:

trick or treat

(also trick-or-treat)

Translate trick or treat into Spanish

exclamation

  • Used by children to ask for sweets when calling at someone's home in costume on Halloween.

    ‘a steady stream of little ghouls chiming, ‘Trick or treat!’’
    • ‘At 7.30 pm recently we had an insistent ringing on the door by children dressed for trick or treat.’
    • ‘Unlike trick or treat, Mischief Night is a long-standing British tradition.’
    • ‘It's definitely a case of trick or treat this weekend depending on where you're going in Wales.’
    • ‘This Halloween have all that candy ready for trick or treat and a scary movie already in the DVD player.’
    • ‘I've figured out how to put the trick in trick or treat.’
    • ‘Today is the day for trick or treat.’
    • ‘In response to Mrs Speedie's letter regarding trick or treat, all I can say is "Bah Humbug!"’
    • ‘The centre is holding a week of scary celebrations ending with a trick or treat day on Friday.’
    • ‘It's trick or treat time all this month in Salem, Massachusetts, the seaport north of Boston.’
    • ‘As an elderly person who does not want to open the door at night to strangers, trick or treat can be a nightmare.’
    • ‘Invite all your friends and ask them to bring a carved pumpkin and plenty of trick or treat goodies.’
    • ‘Extra police will patrol Stockport at Halloween after complaints about trick or treat kids.’
    • ‘Extra police patrols will also be brought in to crack down on anyone who goes over the top while playing trick or treat.’
    • ‘When they play trick or treat, they throw broken eggs all over your doorstep if you don't give them something.’
    • ‘Police spokeswoman Alvina Kumar said: "Each year we receive complaints, particularly from elderly people who find trick or treat upsetting".’
    • ‘There was a great display of spooky costumes in Clonaslee on Sunday, October 31 as local children went on their trick or treat rounds.’
    • ‘A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said unaccompanied children out after dark could be vulnerable any night of the year and that trick or treat night made them no safer.’

verb

[no object]

  • Go from door to door on Halloween asking for sweets with the exclamation ‘trick or treat’

    ‘kids are going to go trick-or-treating tomorrow night’
    • ‘My little boy wanted to go begging - sorry, trick or treating.’
    • ‘Our community is the sort where children go trick or treating on Hallowe'en.’
    • ‘Parents were warned not to let their children go out trick or treating alone.’
    • ‘I imagine he'd be a fun person to go trick or treating with come Halloween.’
    • ‘Rebekka wasn't in the mood to go trick or treating that year.’
    • ‘Children should not be allowed out trick or treating on their own.’
    • ‘Children who go trick or treating on Halloween are " siding with the devil ", a church group has claimed.’
    • ‘The party started alright, and then about 15 of us decided to go trick or treating.’
    • ‘Parents are also being reminded to take extra precautions if their children were planning to go trick-or-treating.’
    • ‘My friends make fun of me because I still want to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.’
    • ‘Mr Tout accuses me of blaming children from Westbury Junior School for all misbehaviour during ' trick or treating ' at Halloween.’
    • ‘Body lights are wonderful for making trick-or-treating a safer experience.’
    • ‘You see, we don't have any tradition of "trick or treating" here in the UK.’
    • ‘Sadly, the days of trick or treating are over.’
    • ‘Goodies for trick-or-treating, hay rides, movie, haunted bus ride.’
    • ‘The fact that kids had lost the freedom to enjoy trick or treating saddened Michael.’
    • ‘Trick or treating was a neighborhood thing, not a shopping mall thing.’
    • ‘We went to a Pumpkin Farm and the kids went real trick or treating.’
    • ‘Kids are going to go trick-or-treating tomorrow night all over America.’
    • ‘For safety reasons children should never trick or treat alone or go into strangers ' homes.’

Origin

1940s with reference to the traditional practice of playing pranks on those who do not give anything to children calling on Halloween.