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.

The company said it closed down its entire computer network on Christmas Eve.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 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

On Christmas Eve, Nvidia paid $20 billion for a perpetual license to Groq’s inference chip, which is called an LPU.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

On Christmas Eve 2024, a mechanical problem prompted the evacuation of skiers from a lift.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

"Merry Christmas Eve, Jones," I finally say, wanting the conversation to end.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

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