Meanings
plural Gate Nights
- around New York City; Connecticut; Winnipeg; Rhode Island; around New York City; Connecticut; Winnipeg; Rhode IslandA particular night, commonly the night of the 30th to the 31st of October, during which young people play pranks and do mischief in their neighborhoods.
Synonyms: list in Mischief Night
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounA particular night, commonly the night of the 30th to the 31st of October, during which young people play pranks and do mischief in their neighborhoods.
Origin
So called because the Gates of Hell supposedly opened up the night before Halloween, which would allow demons to wander towns and cause mischief. In some areas, the name refers to the mischief of lifting residential gates off their hinges and either exchanging them with other people's gates, or placing them in awkward places such as suspended in trees.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Gate Night. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gate%20Night
“Gate Night.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gate%20Night. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gate Night,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gate%20Night.
Source: Gate Night on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.