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The earliest recorded appearance of the word blizzard meaning “a severe snowstorm” was in the April 23, 1870 issue of a newspaper published in Estherville, Iowa. Blizzard shows up again during the following years in several newspapers in Iowa and neighboring states, and by 1888, when a snowstorm paralyzed the Eastern seaboard, the word was well-known nationally. However, in other senses, the word blizzard existed earlier. Davy Crockett, for instance, used it twice in the 1830s, once to mean a rifle blast and once to refer to a blast of words. All of these uses seem related, but the ultimate origin of the word is still unclear.
Examples of blizzard in a Sentence
New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
One southwest of Wichita comes from a story of a Black man who froze to death in a blizzard near the stream in 1872.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
The final weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival brings a blizzard of events, including a parade on Constitution Avenue NW; a two-day street festival on Pennsylvania Avenue NW; and a day of music, art and games in Franklin Park.
—Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2026
Read was accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend and Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe with her car during a blizzard in 2022.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blizzard
Cite this Entry
“Blizzard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blizzard. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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blizzard
noun
