: rain that freezes or partly freezes as it falls from the sky
Concerned that ice pellets—also known as sleet—were a larger hazard than previously thought, the Federal Aviation Administration in late 2005 adopted strict limits on planes taking off in such icy conditions.—
Susan Carey and Andy Pasztor
Susan Carey and Andy PasztorThe wind blew bitterly cold, and the boughs of the old tree crackled under falling sleet.—Harriet Jacobs
compare freezing rain, hail entry 1, snow entry 1
Harriet JacobsExamples of sleet in a Sentence
Noun
The snow turned to sleet and made driving very dangerous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 18 Feb. 2025
The incident comes after a weekend storm that brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the state.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025
Rain, snow and sleet fell across a 1,500-mile stretch of the eastern US on Tuesday, with more than a foot of snow recorded across parts of the Appalachians in Virginia and West Virginia.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025
And there is a chance that the corridor of sleet and freezing rain is more expansive with the second storm, especially across the Mid-Atlantic region and New England.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
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Noun
Total snow and sleet accumulations up to two inches and ice accumulations between one tenth and three tenths of an inch possible.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 18 Feb. 2025
The incident comes after a weekend storm that brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the state.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025
Rain, snow and sleet fell across a 1,500-mile stretch of the eastern US on Tuesday, with more than a foot of snow recorded across parts of the Appalachians in Virginia and West Virginia.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025
And there is a chance that the corridor of sleet and freezing rain is more expansive with the second storm, especially across the Mid-Atlantic region and New England.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleet
Articles Related to sleet
Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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