Santa Ana

American  

[san-tuh an-uh, sahn-tah ah-nah] / ˈsæn tə ˈæn ə, ˈsɑn tɑ ˈɑ nɑ /

noun

1. a city in southwestern California.

2. a city in northwestern El Salvador.

3. Meteorology. (in southern California) a weather condition in which strong, hot, dust-bearing winds descend to the Pacific coast around Los Angeles from inland desert regions.

4. Santa Anna.

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Santa Ana British  

noun

1. a city in NW El Salvador: the second largest city in the country; coffee-processing industry. Pop: 172 000 (2005 est)

2. a city in SW California: commercial and processing centre of a rich agricultural region. Pop: 342 510 (2003 est)

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Santa Ana Scientific  

/ săn′təăn′ə /

1. A strong, dry, hot wind that blows from the desert regions of southern California toward the Pacific coast, usually in winter. The Santa Ana wind occurs when a region of high pressure forms over the Great Basin (the high plateau east of the Sierra mountains and west of the Rocky mountains). The clockwise rotation of air around this high-pressure region forces air down from the plateau. As it descends, the air warms up and picks up speed. Because the wind is hot and dry, it contributes to the hazardous fire conditions of southern California.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Santa Ana

There’s a chance, experts noted, that this year’s El Niño could bring more fall rain, damping the Santa Ana winds’s ability to fuel fast-moving fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

"But it's a win for our community in Santa Ana."

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Even though World Cup watch parties have sprung up across Southern California, I’ve spent the tournament in downtown Santa Ana because it hit different here.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

The crowd in this packed local Santa Ana Bistro is on its feet.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Don’t be a dope,” he had counseled Clevinger when they were both at cadet school in Santa Ana, California.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller