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

Six weeks later, Bass ousted Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, saying she had failed to properly deploy firefighters amid forecasts of dangerous Santa Ana winds.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The Bain fire was reported at 11:22 a.m. near the Santa Ana River bottom in the community of Mira Linda.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

When a friend asked if Tom Steyer could stop by my wife Delilah’s downtown Santa Ana restaurant, I had to explain to her who he was.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

The Santa Ana teen was critically wounded in the crash, police said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Weeks before the Tap-Out, Camille led a protest at the county government offices in Santa Ana, backed by a record number of participants—all members of her college’s student body.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman