Santa Claus

American  

[san-tuh klawz] / ˈsæn tə ˌklɔz /

Or Santa Klaus

noun

1. a benevolent figure of legend, associated with Saint Nicholas, supposed to bring gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

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Santa Claus British  

/ ˈsæntə ˌklɔːz /

noun

1. Often shortened to: Santa.  Also called: Father Christmas.  the legendary patron saint of children, commonly identified with Saint Nicholas, who brings presents to children on Christmas Eve or, in some European countries, on Saint Nicholas' Day

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Etymology

Origin of Santa Claus

1765–75, from Dutch Sinterklaas, equivalent to sint saint + heer (Myn)heer ( def. ) + Klaas, short for Niklaas Nicholas ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Santa Claus

During a virtual holiday party, Brody compared Done’s prescriptions for controlled medications to Santa Claus handing out candy, a witness testified.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

SantaCon is a ticketed pub-crawl event, which is attended by around 25,000 people dressed as Santa Claus and other holiday characters, according to the charging document against Pildes.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Recently, she found a screenshot online where a user told Claude she was 5 years old and asked whether Santa Claus existed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

It wasn’t a stellar performance this year, and the Santa Claus rally period actually produced a tiny loss.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026

“I love the homeless Santa Claus thing he’s got going,” I whis- pered.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs