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

One plot involved killing members of racial minority groups and others in New York City on New Year’s Eve by dressing as Santa Claus and distributing candy laced with poison, prosecutors said. —Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 13 May 2026

The polar bogey the commander spotted that day was Santa Claus. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 May 2026

According to the sheriff’s office, in addition to appearing publicly as Santa Claus at events, Hicks worked in marketing for a Polk County mental health institution. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026

And, of course, Santa Claus will be there too. —Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

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

• byelaws
• candlemas
• chickasaws
• chippewas
• menopause
• repertoires
• tropopause
• ahs
• baas
• cause
• clause
• claws