as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches
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Recent Examples of snowball
That energy on both ends of the court had snowballed.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Once the wine was bottled, things snowballed rather quickly.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2026
And as the shutdown wears on and disrupted passengers struggle to re-book their flights, the damage will snowball.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Major problems arising from hallucinating AI coding software could snowball into catastrophe at many other firms as well.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for snowball
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Once the wine was bottled, things snowballed rather quickly.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2026
And as the shutdown wears on and disrupted passengers struggle to re-book their flights, the damage will snowball.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Major problems arising from hallucinating AI coding software could snowball into catastrophe at many other firms as well.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for snowball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowball
Verb
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The list of measures in the statement touches on ties that China had suspended in recent years as tensions increased.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Crews also removed a wooden timber debris screen in front of one of the dam's gates to help increase water flow through it.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Other important ceremonial garments are also on display, including the Queen’s wedding dress, from 1947, another Hartnell creation that incorporated not just the white rose of the House of York but also featured orange blossoms, a symbol of fertility.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
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Areas near the river from just east of O’Hare International Airport north to the Wisconsin border were under a flood warning due to the river’s rising levels, according to the National Weather Service.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Monthly trading volume on Kalshi and Polymarket, the two largest prediction markets, swelled from about $2 billion in early 2025 to $23 billion as of March.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
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It also is used for bruising, joint pain, sprains, swelling and healing wounds.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Brett Bruen, a former Obama administration diplomat, said Israel’s increasingly close alignment with one party risks accelerating that dynamic.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
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The main engines, each producing more than a half-million pounds of thrust, accelerated the rocket past the speed of sound in about a minute-and-a-half.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Where the hill of Fiesole begins to climb, but still in Florence, that’s where the quiet idyll of Il Salviatino begins, a 15th-century villa surrounded by a 13-acre park just 10 minutes away from the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) and a 25-minute ride from the airport.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
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Employee engagement has climbed to the 90th percentile.—
Vicente Reynal,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Somebody who is just living greatness and never rests on that laurel but is always pushing herself to expand as an artist.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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The debate is playing out in Wyoming, a state where many data centers have popped up, including new plans for Microsoft to purchase 3,200 acres of land to expand its data center footprint.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowball. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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