Christmas Eve

American

noun

the evening or the day preceding Christmas.

Christmas Eve British

noun

the evening or the whole day before Christmas Day

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Christmas Eve

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was Christmas Eve we found out and we were like 'oh, that makes sense now'.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

We humans eat seven fishes on Christmas Eve, samosas on Eid al-Fitr and maple cookies behind the moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Groq’s staff learned that their CEO and other top leaders were decamping for the chip giant on Christmas Eve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

My father left my mother with five young children on Christmas Eve 1978.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

It's Christmas Eve day, and something feels a little bit off.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023