Meanings
verbtrick-or-treat (third-person singular simple present trick-or-treats, present participle trick-or-treating, simple past and past participle trick-or-treated)
present singular third person trick- · present singular third person -treats · participle present trick- · participle present -treating · participle past trick- · past trick- · participle past -treated · past -treated
- intransitiveTo go door-to-door requesting candy on Halloween night while wearing a costume.
Origin
From trick or treat, the phrase stated as a greeting when accosting a household.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
trick-or-treat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trick-or-treat
MLA
“trick-or-treat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trick-or-treat. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trick-or-treat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trick-or-treat.
Source: trick-or-treat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.