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

Investigators considered the theory that JonBenét may have been killed by an intruder, and over the years, looked at other persons of interest, including a neighbor who played Santa Claus and at least two people who confessed to the murder. —Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024

Just one day after the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, 29, filled his team’s locker room with lavish gifts, Purdy, 24, played Santa Claus for the San Francisco 49ers, while Burrow, 28, acted as Old Saint Nick for the Cincinnati Bengals. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024

The Walmart Museum hosted Santa Claus for three free photo opportunities this month. —Charlie Kaijo, arkansasonline.com, 20 Dec. 2024

Despite the chill of Canadian winters, Toronto, the site of the popular Santa Claus parade, saw an 80% surge in searches. —Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

modification of Dutch Sinterklaas, alteration of Sint Nikolaas Saint Nicholas

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above