snowball

¹snow·ball

noun \ˈsnō-ˌbȯl\

Definition of SNOWBALL

1

a : a round mass of snow pressed or rolled together

b : snow cone

2

: any of several cultivated shrubby viburnums (genus Viburnum) with clusters of white sterile flowers —called also snowball bush

Examples of SNOWBALL

1. This snow is perfect for making snowballs.

First Known Use of SNOWBALL

15th century

Rhymes with SNOWBALL

ALGOL, and all, Antall, appall, Argall, argol, air ball, ashfall, at all, atoll, AWOL, baseball, beach ball, beanball, befall, Bengal, best-ball, birdcall, blackball, Bokmål, bookstall, box stall, bradawl, brick wall, broomball, catcall, catchall, cell wall, COBOL, cold call, cornball, Cornwall, crown gall, cue ball, cure-all, curveball, deadfall, de Gaulle, dodgeball, downfall, downhaul, drywall, duck call, eight ball, enthrall, eyeball, fair ball, fastball, fireball, fire wall, foosball, football, footfall, footwall, forestall, forkball, foul ball, four-ball, fourth wall, free-fall, gadwall, game ball, glycol, golf ball, Goodall, goofball, googol, guildhall, hair ball, handball, hardball, headstall, heelball, highball, holdall, house call, icefall, infall, install, John Paul, jump ball, keelhaul, know-all, landfall, Landsmål, line-haul, line squall, lowball, Maillol, meatball, menthol, mess hall, miscall, mothball, Naipaul, naphthol, Nepal, nightfall, nutgall, oddball, outfall, outhaul, paintball, pinball, pitfall, plimsoll, pratfall, prayer shawl, pub crawl, puffball, punchball, pushball, rainfall, rainsquall, recall, rial, Riksmål, rockfall, roll call, rorqual, Saint Paul, save-all, screwball, seawall, short-haul, shortfall, sick call, sidewall, sleazeball, slimeball, snowfall, softball, sour ball, speedball, spitball, stickball, stonewall, stone wall, stoopball, strip mall, T-ball, tea ball, tell-all, three-ball, toll call, town hall, trackball, Tyrol, Udall, Walsall, what all, whip stall, Whitehall, whitewall, windfall, windgall, withal, you-all

²snowball

verb

Definition of SNOWBALL

intransitive verb

1

: to engage in throwing snowballs

2

: to increase, accumulate, expand, or multiply at a rapidly accelerating rate

transitive verb

1

: to throw snowballs at

2

: to cause to increase or multiply at a rapidly accelerating rate

Examples of SNOWBALL

1. Problems snowball when early trouble signs are ignored.
2. What started as a small annual concert has snowballed into a full-fledged music festival.
3. consumers dealing with snowballing debt

First Known Use of SNOWBALL

1843

Related to SNOWBALL

Synonyms

accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon (also bourgeon), climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, increase, spread, swell, wax

Antonyms

contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

Related Words

jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge; heighten, intensify, redouble; blow up, bulk, distend, inflate, puff (up); crescendo, crest, peak