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.

---

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

---

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

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

My sibling said she felt crestfallen and likened it to discovering there was no Santa Claus.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Erdoes loved costumes and on various occasions dressed up as Santa Claus and Mrs. Doubtfire, a character from the 1993 Robin Williams movie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Along with the Santa Claus rally test, Hirsch monitors how stocks perform during the first five trading days of January, and for the month as a whole.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 4, 2026

They seem to think we are Santa Claus, the way the children come around begging us for food and things every single day—and us as poor as church mice!

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver