HOW TO PRONOUNCE
christmas
/ˈkɹɪsməs/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does christmas mean?
noun
- (informal) Sprigs of holly and other evergreen plants used as Christmas decorations; also (generally), any Christmas decorations.
adjective
- Red and green in color.
- Of a dish: having a sauce made with red (ripe) and green (unripe) chili peppers.
More meanings (13)
verb
- (informal) To decorate (a place) with Christmas (“sprigs of holly and other evergreen plants used as Christmas decorations, or any Christmas decorations”).
- To celebrate Christmas.
- To spend Christmas or the Christmas season in some place.
- To subject to Christmas celebrations.
- (obsolete, rare) To bring (someone) Christmas cheer.
interjection
- An expression of annoyance or surprise: Christ, Jesus Christ, Jiminy Cricket, Jiminy Crickets.
proper noun
- A festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and incorporating various Christian, pre-Christian, pagan, and secular customs including gift-giving, which in Western Christianity is celebrated on December 25 (Christmas Day) in most places.
- Ellipsis of Christmas season (“the period of time before and after Christmas Day, during which people prepare for and celebrate Christmas”); Christmastime.
- An uninhabited mining community in Gila County, Arizona.
- A census-designated place in Orange County, Florida.
- An unincorporated community in Au Train Township, Alger County, Michigan.
- An unincorporated community in Bolivar County, Mississippi.
- A surname.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈkɹɪsməs/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
There had not been such snowstorms in twenty years, and the path across the fields was drifted deep from Christmas until March.
When the weeks intervening between the night of this conversation and Christmas day began perceptibly to diminish, her anxiety and perplexity increased.
More book examples (3)
But Phil had insisted on taking it home with her in the Christmas holidays and embroidering tiny rosebuds all over the chiffon.
He began to tell the story as easily as if he were telling it to an old friend by a Christmas fire.
“For some things,” said his aunt, “it was a good thing Paul was ill that Christmas. I believe it saved his mother.”