Phrase guide

Christmas come early

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkɹɪsməs kʌm ˈɜːli/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌkɹɪsməs kʌm ˈɜɹli/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)li

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something very delightful or fortunate that is happening or has happened, especially earlier than expected.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, idiomatic, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Referring to the imaginary situation of Christmas occurring before the usual date, and thus one enjoying the festivities and receiving Christmas presents early.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: joulu tuli etuajassa — something very delightful or fortunate that is happening or has happened, especially earlier than expected
  • Polish: święta przyszły wcześniej — something very delightful or fortunate that is happening or has happened, especially earlier than expected