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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Secret Service dogs took to the White House lawn to practice catching snowballs in their mouths. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025 For a less ambitious cookie that uses a recipe similar to just the base, search for no-bake chocolate coconut snowballs. Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
Those moments looked similar to certain times last season, when mistakes and goals conceded snowballed out of control. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2025 Dallas beat the Eagles by 20 points the next week and the losses — and finger pointing — snowballed from there. Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for snowball

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snowball. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

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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