snowball

verb

Definition of snowballnext
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 But as his videos spread online, the response quickly snowballed. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026 Over the proceeding year and a half, snowballing AI hype has sent valuations in the space soaring to spectacular new heights. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 25 June 2026 The warning quickly snowballed into one of the agency's more memorable social media campaigns. — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Amazon Prime Day 2026 has snowballed into one of the best sales events the internet has to offer. — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for snowball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowball
  1. increase
  2. rise
  3. swell
  4. accelerate
  5. climb
  6. expand
Verb
  • In recent months, drone sightings in Nikopol have increased from two or three per day to about three every hour, day and night, Varytsev says.
    — Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Homelessness after incarceration increases the chances that someone will end up back behind bars, at a steep cost to taxpayers.
    — Amber Gaudet July 18, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Officials said the warning systems built since last year’s catastrophic floods were activated in Kerr County in the early hours before water levels began to rise, allowing for people to react quickly to flooding threats.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • On linear television, the series is up +62% among adults 18-49, +26% among adults 25-54 and +30% in total viewers, with P2+ viewing across VOD platforms rising +44% within seven days of airing.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 July 2026
Definition of rise
Verb
  • As the market continues to swell, and the clinical category starts to get a little crowded, Neutrogena knows the race to be the first to new ingredients is essential in maintaining its heritage as a leading brand.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 15 July 2026
  • His eyes had bags under them, and his face was swollen from training for the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
    — Max Marshall, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
Definition of swell
Verb
  • Engineers believe exposing robots to everyday activities such as cooking will accelerate their development for applications beyond manufacturing, including hospitality, retail, healthcare, and domestic assistance.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
  • This transformation is not the product of any single administration, although recent political polarization has accelerated it.
    — John Eger, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
Definition of accelerate
Verb
  • The Current will look to climb from sixth in the NWSL standings during the heart of the season without its most crucial piece.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Walmart actually hit an all-time closing high back on May 19 and has been rolling over ever since, while Target kept climbing.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Definition of climb
Verb
  • The Office of the State Auditor maintained that its interest in a Midland site was based on expanding geographic access to early voting, not dictating the county’s final plan.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
  • Although revenues have expanded substantially, income needs to continue growing rapidly for Newcastle to sustain a higher salary base and regularly sign the best players.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of expand

Browse Nearby Words

snow
snowball
snowballed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowball. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on snowball

Nglish: Translation of snowball for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about snowball

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All