Slangora

Chrimbo

(British, slang) Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.

ˈkɹɪmboʊDocumented since 1920s1920sSilenthistorical56 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
1 definition
Community

Etymology timeline

Born ~1928 · no dated citations yet
1928BornToday, 2026

Definitions

UK
#1·Apr 26, 2026UK

(British, slang) Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.

The thing is, The Montrose is cracker on a Thursday night, never mind that the Chrimbo lunacy season has kicked off good and proper.
Origin: The OED cites the first printed usage (of the variant spelling Crimbo) as being in 1928. They give John Lennon's 1963 usage in a Beatles' Fan Club Christmas single as the first recorded use of the variant form Crimble. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

Chrimbo means: Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

Chrimbo means: Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.

Was this helpful?

Comments

For specific readers

Chrimbo means: Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

Used in

UK

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "Chrimbo".

Add definition

🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "Chrimbo" (C)

Browse all slang words starting with C.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related