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

According to the movie’s synopsis, after Santa Claus is kidnapped an E.L.F. Task Force Commander teams up with a bounty hunter for a mission to save Christmas. —Marianne Garvey, CNN, 26 June 2024

Prince Harry has dressed up as Spider-Man and sent a message as Santa Claus (among other endeavors) for Scotty's Little Soldiers. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024

Climate disasters, like British Columbia’s floods, have further weakened already […] The Past How Christmas became an American holiday tradition, with a Santa Claus, gifts and a tree The German-American cartoonist introduced the idea that Santa Claus traveled with a sleigh and reindeer. —Big Think, 24 June 2024

In the years following World War II, the Japanese people looked to Santa Claus as a symbol of not just kindness and beneficence, but of modernity. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

modification of Dutch Sinterklaas, alteration of Sint Nikolaas Saint Nicholas

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above