Xmas
Americanabbreviation
noun
Sensitive Note
The abbreviation Xmas for Christmas dates from the mid 16th century. The X is the Greek letter chi, the initial letter in the word Χριστός ( Chrīstos ) “Christ.” In spite of a long and respectable history, today Xmas is offensive to many, perhaps because of its associations with advertising. It is not used in formal writing.
Etymology
Origin of Xmas
C16: from symbol X for Christ + -mas
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.
Suzan Holder said she and the Walsall-born rocker would find it "a bit awkward" if Slade's hit Merry Xmas Everybody came on when they were out eating.
From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025
One of those men was Kevin Hammer, a Brooklyn native once referred to in the local news as the “Bill Gates of Xmas Trees.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2023
The X in Xmas as an abbreviation for Christmas definitely does come from the Greek letter χ.
From Scientific American • Aug. 10, 2023
Everyone residing in Who-ville felt zealous concerning Xmas quite a lot … but the Grinch, you know, up on his snowy mountain perch, did NOT!
From Washington Post • Nov. 23, 2022
To the left are stacked boxes labeled with a felt marker: Xmas Ornaments; several boxes with a big B for books.
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
