sleigh
Americannoun
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a light vehicle on runners, usually open and generally horse-drawn, used especially for transporting persons over snow or ice.
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a sled.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sleigh
Explanation
A sleigh is a large sled that's pulled by horses, or in the case of Santa Claus, by reindeer. A sleigh is usually big enough for at least two passengers to ride in. Most sleighs travel across snow or ice, sliding on smooth runners, and are pulled by one or more horses. In Britain, this is more often called a sledge, or sometimes a sled. In North America, a sled is much smaller than a sleigh, and it's used for fun rather than transportation. Sleigh comes from the Dutch slee.
Vocabulary lists containing sleigh
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
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Let's Go Caroling, List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
Members pay $6,500 a year plus a $5,000 initiation fee for access to private dining, curated experiences like sleigh rides and holiday parties, and optional private liquor lockers and cigar humidors for an extra fee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
But a few years ago it posted a digitally-altered image on its Facebook page depicting Santa’s sleigh taking off from its deck.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
Low trading volumes can also bring volatility, as relatively little selling may spark outsize moves, so investors should be ready for bumps on any sleigh ride to a year-end rally.
From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025
Trying to squeeze in cookie baking, holiday parties, Christmas movies and picturesque sleigh rides?
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
When the silk sleigh and its passengers failed to return?
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Mr Cook asked motorists to "exercise extreme caution and vigilance" on the roads, "especially around Santa sleighs as there are often families and children crossing the roads nearby".
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023
In addition to more than 60 vehicles on display — including buggies, sleighs and wagons — there is a one-room schoolhouse and a wheelwright/blacksmith shop that give visitors a glimpse into the past.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
In her article, Hamill researched the origins of "Jingle Bells," its composer, James L. Pierpont, and other songs about sleighs that appeared during the mid-1800s.
From Fox News ● Jan. 2, 2022
We stared in somewhat stupefied awe at toy trains chugging around sugar-snow-dusted mini-Swiss Alps under flying Santa sleighs and traded longings.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2020
When sleighs appeared on front lawns and fake snow on Douglas firs, Baba stayed home and I drove the VW bus alone up and down the peninsula.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
