Xmas

noun

ˈkris-məs 

also

ˈeks-məs 

plural Xmases

informal

: christmas

I don't expect to get away for Xmas.

—Alexander Woollcott

Lester was carrying boxes marked Xmas from the corner of the garage to the truck.

—Gloria Naylor

—now used chiefly for brevity in advertisements, headlines, etc.

Examples of Xmas in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Late last year, to signal the return of Davies and commemorate its 60th anniversary, three specials aired featuring fan favorites David Tennant and Catherine Tate before Gatwa was introduced in a third Xmas special – The Church on Ruby Road, which divided critics. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024

Bong Candle’s Xmas Treez Bong Candle’s limited holiday time items are sure to bring on the giggles due to their names, never mind their effects. —Joan Oleck, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

Good Night John Boy is groovin' with the disco Xmas bar downtown, The Jingle Bar landed its sleigh at Bang on 5th in Gaslamp and Parq Nightclub has become Santa's Lair. —Kate Murphy, Axios, 27 Nov. 2024

The fun Xmas tradition has made room for skin care, and this Molton Brown Advent Calendar will pamper your mom from head to toe. —Annie Blackman, Allure, 5 Nov. 2024

Guitar Center's Drum-Off Snares Superstar Judges By Scott Thill Best Xmas Tune? —Simon Hill, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024

New Hampshire Workers unload a truck with 1,400 Christmas trees at North Pole Xmas Trees in Nashua, New Hampshire. —Scott Cohn, CNBC, 26 July 2024

New Year's Eve 2024: Best parties and bar crawls in metro Phoenix Happy Xmas, haters: In defense of Paul McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmastime' Is 'Die Hard' is a Christmas movie? —Sahana Jayaraman, The Arizona Republic, 22 Dec. 2024

Watch Alien Xmas on Netflix Angela's Christmas Everyone needs an Angela (voiced by Lucy O'Connell) in their lives! —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

X (symbol for Christ, from the Greek letter chi (X), initial of Christos Christ) + -mas (in Christmas)

First Known Use

1721, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Xmas

noun

ˈkris-məs 

also

ˈek-sməs 

informal

: christmas

Etymology

from X, a symbol for Jesus Christ, and -mas, from Christmas; the X is from the Greek letter X "chi," the first letter in the Greek word Christos "Christ"