Santa Claus

noun

San·​ta Claus ˈsan-tə-ˌklȯz 

 also  ˈsan-tē-

variants or Santa

ˈsan-tə 

: a plump, white-bearded, red-suited, and jolly old man in modern folklore who delivers presents to children at Christmastime

There might be a few weeks left until Christmas, but Santa Claus and his merry elves landed early in Bakersfield because several boys and girls on the nice list caught their attention.

—Ema Sasic

… we had dashed downstairs to the living room to see what Santa had brought and piled up, in great mounds of splendidly wrapped packages, under the Christmas tree—whose angel's halo brushed the ceiling.

—Anthony Bailey

Examples of Santa Claus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So either the Chiefs dynasty preens on, or Eagles fans get to celebrate by jumping on car hoods, setting fires and booing Santa Claus. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2025

Verse got the same treatment Santa Claus received at halftime of an infamous 1968 game at Franklin Field. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025

Names like Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler, and Santa Claus have been rejected in the U.S., according to Today.com. —Anna Halkidis, Parents, 23 Jan. 2025

In 1968, when a man dressed as Santa Claus walked out onto the field. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

modification of Dutch Sinterklaas, alteration of Sint Nikolaas Saint Nicholas

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above