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

Shops in Santa Village sell ornaments, snow globes, candy, fudge, and toys and kids can take pictures with Santa Claus in a cozy cabin. —Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Stanley Tucci Details Celebrating the Holidays with His Young Kids: 'Santa Claus Is Still Very Much Alive' (Exclusive) The Devil Wears Prada star is the proud dad of five children. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Photo by Mark Johanson Modern molas sold in Panama City feature everything from Santa Claus to Mickey Mouse. —Mark Johanson, AFAR Media, 22 Apr. 2025

Silent Night, Deadly Night tells the story of a child who is traumatized after seeing his parents killed by a man dressed as Santa Claus. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Apr. 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