as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snowball
There are 40 games on the schedule for this inaugural season, but based on the response so far, there's a chance things could snowball into more.
—
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
What started as a difficult period gradually snowballed into something that felt impossible to manage alone.
—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
The numbers snowballed as teachers grew to trust Danny Go!
—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
29 May 2026
There’s no ceiling, so losses can quickly snowball.
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for snowball
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
What started as a difficult period gradually snowballed into something that felt impossible to manage alone.
—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
The numbers snowballed as teachers grew to trust Danny Go!
—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
29 May 2026
There’s no ceiling, so losses can quickly snowball.
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for snowball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowball
Verb
-
The rent on our apartment has increased by about 70% over the past six years.
-
Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn (4-3) struck out two in a scoreless seventh to earn the win and increase his hitless streak to 10 innings, with 19 strikeouts, over his last nine appearances.
Verb
-
Why the at-home mani pedi trend is growing Three forces are driving the shift, including DIY beauty habits that stuck after the pandemic, the rising price of salon services and a steady stream of social tutorials that make at-home nails feel achievable.
-
Estate sales are also a source, though Miranda-Martin feels the rising popularity of these sales in Los Angeles has led to an increase in pricing.
Verb
-
Sense of place The river — which swells with spring snowmelt — and surrounding wilderness give the property a strong sense of place.
-
Symptoms can be mild to severe and range from nausea, itching, abdominal pain, swelling of the lips to life-threatening symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Verb
-
Co-founder and tour guide Hannah Michelle Brower says the tour will be a historical journey exploring passenger pigeons and the Lenape people, as well as looking at how the arrival of European colonizers accelerated commercial exploitation and ultimately contributed to the extinction of the bird.
-
Over time, this can increase electrical resistance, generate excess heat, and accelerate battery degradation.
Verb
-
Temperatures climb after Sunday, with heat indices in the hundreds for multiple days, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an extreme heat watch for Cook County, in effect from Monday through Wednesday.
-
The approach will require the company's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft to take off and climb to approximately 40,000 feet over the ocean, where Pegasus will be released.
Verb
-
Love’s Travel Stops just expanded its service offerings for RVs, including light maintenance, battery replacement and tire replacement.
-
California's new personal finance graduation requirement The lessons come as California prepares to expand financial education statewide.
Cite this Entry
“Snowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowball. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
