blizzard

noun

bliz·​zard ˈbli-zərd 

1

: a long severe snowstorm

2

: an intensely strong cold wind filled with fine snow

3

: an overwhelming rush or deluge

a blizzard of mail around the holidays

blizzardy

ˈbli-zər-dē 

adjective

or less commonly blizzardly

ˈbli-ˌzərd-lē 

Did you know?

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 mean for 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

We were snowed in by a raging blizzard.

Recent Examples on the Web

As a result, the Sierras can experience blizzards that would be unfathomable in low-lying areas, like a single storm in late March, which deposited more than 10 feet of snow at the Sugar Bowl ski resort over the course of four days. —Ned Kleiner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

How to Icefish for Crappie in a Blizzard If the news is calling for a blizzard, the average ice angler is staying home. —Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024

There is a blizzard warning in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, after that, forecasters said, more snowfall is expected but will eventually taper off. —Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024

End of carousel One state official likened it to preparing for a cross between a blizzard and a very big party. —Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

Set in Minnesota, the film will see two-time Oscar winner as a widow who, while trapped in a blizzard, interrupts the kidnapping of a teenager. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 30 Mar. 2024

On Monday, more than 12 million people across 13 states from New Mexico to Michigan are under winter weather alerts, including a blizzard warning for much of Nebraska and parts of Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, and Minnesota. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2024

The blizzard conditions also have prompted authorities to close parts of major highways, including Interstate 80, which runs across the country from San Francisco to New Jersey and cuts through southern Nebraska. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024

But those concerns were met with a blizzard of emotionally manipulative brushback pitches, in which parents were accused of wanting to sacrifice the lives of America’s educators only to restore the convenience that the pandemic had taken from them. —The Editors, National Review, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

blizzard

noun

bliz·​zard ˈbliz-ərd 

1

: a long heavy snowstorm

2

: a very strong cold wind filled with fine snow

3

: an overwhelming rush or deluge

a blizzard of mail