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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 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
Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 6 July 2025
The family of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, killed on Jan. 29, 2022 during a blizzard, is still searching for justice this week, days after jurors cleared his ex-girlfriend Karen Read of homicide charges.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
One defense expert suggested that O’Keefe’s injuries were caused by a dog, backing up the defense’s theory that O’Keefe was beaten inside the home of a fellow cop, attacked by his dog and discarded outside during a blizzard.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Prosecutors alleged Read hit her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, with her car outside the Canton home of fellow police officer Brian Albert after a night of heavy drinking in January 2022 and then left him to die there during a major blizzard.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for blizzard
Cite this Entry
“Blizzard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blizzard. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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blizzard
noun
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