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

Kids can have a chance to meet Santa Claus during the trip, too. —Ramsey Qubein, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Bernadette, however, isn’t fazed by the situation, and, with some help from Santa Claus, even gives the kids the best non-traditional Christmas ever. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2024

The film is directed by Jake Kasdan and sees Santa Claus (code name: Red One) kidnapped. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 15 Oct. 2024

Located on the Arctic Circle, Santa Claus Village is an amusement park that welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

modification of Dutch Sinterklaas, alteration of Sint Nikolaas Saint Nicholas

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above