snow

noun, often attributive \ ˈsnō \

Definition of snow

1 a :precipitation in the form of small white ice crystals formed directly from the water vapor of the air at a temperature of less than 32°F (0°C)

b (1) :a descent or shower of snow crystals

(2) :a mass of fallen snow crystals

2 :something resembling snow: such as

a :a dessert made of stiffly beaten whites of eggs, sugar, and fruit pulp

apple snow

b :a usually white crystalline substance that condenses from a fluid phase as snow does

ammonia snow

c slang

(1) :cocaine

(2) :heroin

d :small transient light or dark spots on a television screen

—

snowless

play \ˈsnō-ləs\ adjective

See snow defined for English-language learners

See snow defined for kids

Examples of snow in a Sentence

Snow fell softly on the town.
The mountains were blanketed with snow.
She took a walk in the snow.
We haven't had much snow this year.
She went out to shovel the snow.
Soon the warm spring sun will melt the winter snows.
the snows of the Rocky Mountains
A light snow was falling.

Origin and Etymology of snow

Middle English, from Old English snāw; akin to Old High German snēo snow, Latin niv-, nix, Greek nipha (accusative)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

snow

verb

Definition of snow

intransitive verb

:to fall in or as snow

transitive verb

1 :to cause to fall like or as snow

2 a :to cover, shut in, or imprison with or as if with snow

b :to deceive, persuade, or charm glibly

3 :to whiten like snow

See snow defined for English-language learners

Examples of snow in a Sentence

easily snowed by her glib talk
the years had snowed his hair to a silvery white, making it difficult at first to recognize her old high school crush

Recent Examples of snow from the Web

Over the next week, the mosque was snowed under with cards and letters.

— author: sabrina tavernise, Alaska Dispatch News, "At an Arkansas mosque, a vandal spreads hate and finds mercy," 26 Aug. 2017
The result, however, is an inordinately busy movie that yields a few amusing and even sweet moments -- a la Gru's young daughter and her quest to find a unicorn -- that are largely snowed under by the loud and obnoxious ones.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Despicable Me's' third time loses the charm," 29 June 2017
Website: waterworldcolorado.com While we’ve been snowed on all winter long, the folks at Water World have been working hard at preparing new cabanas for our enjoyment this summer.

— erica boniface, The Know, "14 ways to celebrate Memorial Day in Colorado," 18 May 2017
Even without a 4,000-person march, traffic is notoriously bad on the first weekend of the festival, and it's been at least lightly snowing here for days, making the going all the slower.

— richard lawson, vanityfair.com, "Women Take the Day at Sundance, on Main Street and on Screen," 21 Jan. 2017
I was snowed in last weekend and managed to tackle six dishes, but that's far from the norm.

— alyse whitney, Bon Appetit, "Meal Prep Ideas to Save Time, Money, and Your Sanity," 15 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'snow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of snow

14th century

snow Synonyms

Synonyms

bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, deceive, spoof, string along, sucker, suck in, take in, trick

Antonyms

undeceive

Related Words

kid, put on, tease; bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, flam, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle

Near Antonyms

debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; disclose, divulge, tell, unveil; disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

Snow

biographical name \ ˈsnō \

Definition of Snow

C(harles) P(ercy) 1905–1980 Baron Snow English novelist and physicist

SNOW Defined for English Language Learners

snow

noun

Definition of snow for English Language Learners

: soft, white pieces of frozen water that fall to the ground from the sky in cold weather
: white dots that appear on the screen of a television when it is receiving a weak signal

snow

verb

Definition of snow for English Language Learners

—used with it to say that snow is falling
: to impress, deceive, or persuade (someone)

SNOW Defined for Kids

snow

noun \ ˈsnō \

Definition of snow for Students

1 :small white crystals of ice formed directly from the water vapor of the air

2 :a mass of snowflakes fallen to earth

a foot of snow

snow

verb

Definition of snow for Students

snowed; snowing

:to fall or cause to fall in or as snow

It's snowing west of here.

Medical Dictionary

snow

noun \ ˈsnō \

medical Definition of snow

1 :any of various congealed or crystallized substances resembling snow in appearance

carbon dioxide snow

2 slang

a :cocaine

b :heroin

Learn More about snow

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for snow Spanish Central: Translation of snow Nglish: Translation of snow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of snow for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about snow

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snow

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snowless

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snow

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Examples of snow in a Sentence

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Synonyms

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Snow

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SNOW Defined for English Language Learners

snow

Definition of snow for English Language Learners

snow

Definition of snow for English Language Learners

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snow

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snow

medical Definition of snow

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