snowball

1 of 2

noun

snow·​ball ˈsnō-ˌbȯl How to pronounce snowball (audio)
1
a
: a round mass of snow pressed or rolled together
b
2
: any of several cultivated shrubby viburnums (genus Viburnum) with clusters of white sterile flowers

called also snowball bush

snowball

2 of 2

verb

snowballed; snowballing; snowballs
1
intransitive : to increase, accumulate, expand, or multiply at a rapidly accelerating rate
a trend that has begun to snowball
It was one of those games in which things just snowballed and kept getting worse for Philly …Paul Zimmerman
The snowballing growth of the last few years probably cannot continue forever.Tamar Lewin
2
transitive : to attack with snowballs : to throw snowballs at
Any man so unwise as to walk alone by day was apt to be set upon and snowballedFritz Leiber

Examples of snowball in a Sentence

Noun This snow is perfect for making snowballs. Verb Problems snowball when early trouble signs are ignored. What started as a small annual concert has snowballed into a full-fledged music festival. consumers dealing with snowballing debt
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Soon enough the train passed through two different ski resorts and vacationers greeted us by unleashing a barrage of snowballs on the observation car. Javier Panzar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 An elasticized waist gives tummies plenty of breathing room to bend down and make snowballs or snow angels. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 12 Feb. 2024 But in the long view, nothing will grow the sport bigger or better than hockey gaining and expanding a broad, passionate base in the South and other areas where once this great sport stood a snowball’s chance in hell. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 Truth is, my four year old throws a meaner snowball than #BillsMafia. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 22 Jan. 2024 Swift hasn’t met football fans like this yet, the kind who are talking among themselves about tossing snowballs at her. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2024 The snowball method entails paying off the cards with the smallest balances first; the avalanche focuses on paying off the cards with the highest interest rates first. The Enquirer, 17 Jan. 2024 Throw snowballs in the Christmas Village, meet holiday characters up close, and ride through the dazzling illuminated forest (with eight million lights!). Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2023 In another clip from the game's broadcast, Kelce, 34, waves and blows kisses to Bills fans as snowballs fly toward the NFL star and his teammates. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 22 Jan. 2024
Verb
The furor surrounding Messi is the latest example of how backlash against brands or celebrities can quickly snowball in China’s highly nationalistic social media sphere – in some cases with the potential for significant business ramifications in the country’s major consumer market. Shawn Deng, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 But then things snowballed and the stories began to sound like a James Bond movie. USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 It’s been that kind of don’t-miss-a-moment stretch for Baltimore’s pro sports teams as the Orioles and Ravens’ success has snowballed over the past 12 months to reach a rare level. Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2024 And its snowballing sense of impending doom is masterfully engineered. Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023 Over the subsequent years and decades, that seed snowballed into the largest Gay Ski Week in the Western Hemisphere, and the only non-profit Gay Ski Week in the country, setting the bar for like-minded events in ski communities the world over, from Tignes, France, to Stowe, Vermont. Matt Kirouac, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2024 Tagovailoa’s first interception, an incredible one-handed snag by linebacker Roquan Smith, played a big part in the deficit snowballing late in the first half. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2024 But that can quickly snowball and end up landing you with a ton of lights and a ton of trucks and a ton of crew to support it. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Oct. 2023 The situation is the latest example of how backlash against brands or celebrities can quickly snowball in China’s highly nationalistic social media sphere – in some cases with the potential for significant business ramifications in the country’s major consumer market. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snowball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of snowball was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near snowball

Cite this Entry

“Snowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snowball. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snowball

1 of 2 noun
snow·​ball ˈsnō-ˌbȯl How to pronounce snowball (audio)
1
: a round mass of snow pressed or rolled together
2
: a viburnum widely grown for its ball-shaped clusters of white flowers

called also snowball bush

snowball

2 of 2 verb
1
: to throw snowballs at
2
: to increase or expand at a rapidly accelerating rate
problems snowball when early trouble signs are ignored

More from Merriam-Webster on snowball

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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