sleet

1 of 2

noun

: rain that freezes or partly freezes as it falls from the sky
Concerned that ice pellets—also known as sleet—were a larger hazard than previously thought, the Federal Aviation Administration in late 2005 adopted strict limits on planes taking off in such icy conditions.Susan Carey and Andy Pasztor
The wind blew bitterly cold, and the boughs of the old tree crackled under falling sleet.Harriet Jacobs
compare freezing rain, hail entry 1, snow entry 1
sleety adjective

sleet

2 of 2

verb

sleeted; sleeting; sleets

intransitive verb

: to shower sleet

Examples of sleet in a Sentence

Noun The snow turned to sleet and made driving very dangerous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There’s a lot of wind, rain, sleet, hail, storm, dust. Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2024 Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, there are a plethora of winter boots ideal for rain, snow, sleet and everything in between. Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2024 As temperatures finally warm — with highs hovering near freezing and slightly above it — forecasters warn to expect freezing rain and sleet starting Monday evening and into Tuesday morning. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 22 Jan. 2024 Rain, snow, sleet, sun, gravel, grass, cobblestone, cement—it’s been through the ringer. Samantha Leal, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sleet 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sleet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English slete; akin to Middle High German slōz hailstone

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleet was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sleet

Cite this Entry

“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sleet

1 of 2 noun
: rain that freezes or partly freezes as it falls from the sky
sleety adjective

sleet

2 of 2 verb
: to shower sleet

More from Merriam-Webster on sleet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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