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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
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Russell plays True Brandywine, a bronc rider who gets stranded in a severe blizzard and must fight against the elements.
—Sezin Devi Keohler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
Even on one of the worst blizzards New York had seen in a decade, the festival saw one of its busiest days, filled with those willing to make the trip to let off some steam.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 6 Mar. 2026
Westwood Fire Station One, which had served as headquarters for the department, was closed after an emergency inspection following the recent blizzard revealed significant structural problems.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 4 Mar. 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 14 Mar. 2026.
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blizzard
noun
