Father Christmas
Father Christmas proper noun: a mythical figure said to bring presents to people (especially children) at Christmas time.
Proper noun
Father Christmas (plural Father Christmases or Father Christmasses or Fathers Christmas)
- A mythical figure said to bring presents to people (especially children) at Christmas time.
- The old men who had moustaches came with their breath frozen on them, and looked like so many old Father Christmasses: although all seemed poor and were indifferently clad, they almost all looked in good health and spirits.1879 May, “Famine Relief. Welcome Words from Shan-si in a letter from Mr. James.”, in J[ames] Hudson Taylor, editor, China’s Millions, number 47, London: Morgan and Scott, […], page 63, column 2
- Again Donna Maria’s anger was interrupted by the rising of the curtain; or, rather, diverted from Carlo’s décadent æsthetics to the extreme badness of the mise en scène, to rows of Father Christmasses and ladies in grey waterproofs, who bellowed and gesticulated as unhappy shades at the gates of...1889 June, Vernon Lee [pseudonym; Violet Paget], “Orpheus in Rome: Irrelevant Talks on the Use of the Beautiful”, in The Contemporary Review, volume LV, London: Isbister and Company […], section I...
- Synonyms:
- Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Saint Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Santa
Examples of Father Christmas in a sentence
- The five Father Christmases walked slowly on, oblivious alike of the children who gaped at them and the man-hunt that was taking place under their noses.1939, Nicholas Blake [pseudonym; Cecil Day-Lewis], The Smiler with the Knife, Harper & Row, page 199:
- ‘Yeah, I’ve seen those things they think are gnomes,’ said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush. ‘Like fat little Father Christmases with fishing rods …’1998 July 2, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “The Burrow”, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter; 2), London...
- At the beginning of the 1990s, therefore, Bardo moved to the current establishment, and was finally able to house his Father Christmases in the style they deserve.2003, Piers Letcher, Eccentric France: The Bradt Guide to Mad, Magical and Marvellous France, Bradt Travel Guides; The Globe Pequot Press...
- The smiling carol singers and the laughing Father Christmasses on the television seemed to make my misery more acute.2016, Bryony Gordon, “I think I might be dying”, in Mad Girl, London: Headline Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 20:
Synonyms of Father Christmas
Forms of Father Christmas
| plural | Father Christmases |
|---|---|
| plural | Father Christmasses |
| plural | Fathers Christmas |
| alternative abbreviation (informal) | Father X'mas |
| alternative abbreviation (informal) | Father X-mas |
| alternative abbreviation (informal) | Father Xmas |
Questions about Father Christmas
- What does Father Christmas mean?
- Father Christmas means a mythical figure said to bring presents to people (especially children) at Christmas time.
- How do you use Father Christmas in a sentence?
- The five Father Christmases walked slowly on, oblivious alike of the children who gaped at them and the man-hunt that was taking place under their noses.
- What part of speech is Father Christmas?
- Father Christmas is a proper noun.
Words near Father Christmas in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Father Christmas (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Father Christmas.wav.
Cite this entry: “Father Christmas.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/father_christmas. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.