Christmas

American  

[kris-muhs] / ˈkrɪs məs /

noun

1. the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and, for many, an occasion for exchanging gifts.

2. Christmastime.

3. Christmastide.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Christmas; made or displayed for Christmas: a Christmas movie for the whole family.

   six batches of Christmas cookies;

   a Christmas movie for the whole family.

Christmas British  

/ ˈkrɪsməs /

noun

1. 1. the annual commemoration by Christians of the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec 25

   2. Also called: Christmas Day. Dec 25, observed as a day of secular celebrations when gifts and greetings are exchanged

   3. ( as modifier )

      Christmas celebrations

2. Also called: Christmas Day. (in England, Wales and Ireland) Dec 25, one of the four quarter days Compare Lady Day Midsummer's Day Michaelmas

3. Also called: Christmastide. the season of Christmas extending from Dec 24 (Christmas Eve) to Jan 6 (the festival of the Epiphany or Twelfth Night)

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Christmas Cultural  

1. A festival commemorating the birth of Jesus, traditionally celebrated on December 25 by most Western Christian churches. Although dating to probably as early as a.d. 200, the feast of Christmas did not become widespread until the Middle Ages. Today, Christmas is largely secularized and dominated by gifts, decorated trees, and a jolly Santa Claus.

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Usage

Spelling tips for Christmas The word Christmas is hard to spell for two reasons. The letters ch- often make a [ ch ] sound, but in Christmas they represent a [ k ] sound. Also, there is only one s at the end, even though mass is typically spelled with a double s. As a final note, Christmas is a proper noun, and therefore the first letter is always capitalized. How to spell Christmas: Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ (also known as Jesus). Christ was a humble man, so he only needs one s at the end of his birthday (-mas).

Other Word Forms

• Christmassy
  adjective
• Christmasy
  adjective
• post-Christmas
  adjective
• pre-Christmas
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of Christmas

First recorded before 1050; Middle English cristmas(se); Old English Cristes mǣsse Mass of Christ

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Christmas

There are Etsy shops full of Hallmark Christmas Cruise items, including one where I purchased $24 T-shirts for the Candy Cane Sail Away party the first night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

In terms of sweets, Poundland will get its Halloween stock in from July, and Christmas stock in from September.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

But it didn’t take much sleuthing to discover Amazon, Shein and Temu are unofficial benefactors in the competition to put National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to shame.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Through September, employers cited AI in 120,136 announced U.S. job cuts, about 21% of the total and the leading reason this year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

I gazed at its marshes and rice fields, at kingfishers hovering to dive, cattle egrets dotting the landscape with white, and weaverbird nests dangling from trees like Christmas decorations.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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