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

The store was also treasured by locals for its 30-foot-tall Santa Claus that instantly brought holiday cheer to the city. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Nov. 2025

The episode opens with Butters showing off his latest AI video, which features Santa Claus peeing in the mouth of his classmate Red. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

Each night includes holiday entertainment featuring visits from Santa Claus, live carolers and a DJ. —Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025

They will be delivered to those who preordered the dolls in January 2026, so Santa Claus may have to leave some IOU notes to fans across the country. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

modification of Dutch Sinterklaas, alteration of Sint Nikolaas Saint Nicholas

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Santa Claus

• chickasaws
• chippewas
• diapause
• menelaus
• menopause
• tropopause
• ahs
• baas
• cause
• clause
• claws
• coz