Father Christmas
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Father Christmas
First recorded in 1650–60
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.
Further requirements for the Father Christmas role generally include infinite patience, an ability to improvise, and tolerance for repetition.
From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025
A Father Christmas figure is pictured looking pained in the water at the foot of a rock.
From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025
What makes her laugh, though, is remembering a complaint from a furious mum who accused her of ruining her daughter's childhood because one of her books implied that 11-year-olds no longer believe in Father Christmas.
From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025
"I think the adults enjoyed having Father Christmas there more than the kids!"
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025
“When I was a little girl, I used to insist on sleeping under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve! I wanted to catch Father Christmas in the act. Wasn’t that ever so naughty of me?”
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
