as in increased
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 snowballed
Other discipline errors snowballed after that.
—
Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Her actions soon snowballed into a national scandal.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
The tentative reunion quickly snowballed into a full tour and, now, Sublime’s first new music in nearly 30 years.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
The ongoing comparison of the two turned into an internet frenzy that snowballed into lyrical jabs and shade across interviews and social media.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 4 Sep. 2025
But since Florida made private school vouchers available to all families regardless of income in 2023, the state budget for vouchers has snowballed from $1 billion to $4 billion.
—Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2025
The sentiment quickly snowballed as Reddit threads ballooned with grief and X timelines filled with complaints, leading OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to hold an emergency Reddit Ask Me Anything.
—Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
This year, the Blizzard Bash has snowballed into a week-long tour for Opus’ band Dead by Wednesday and the California band Skinlab, which hasn’t played the East Coast in years.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 Jan. 2025
So the public hunt kicked off in November when the book came out and it's really snowballed in interest since then.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Her actions soon snowballed into a national scandal.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
The tentative reunion quickly snowballed into a full tour and, now, Sublime’s first new music in nearly 30 years.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
The ongoing comparison of the two turned into an internet frenzy that snowballed into lyrical jabs and shade across interviews and social media.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 4 Sep. 2025
But since Florida made private school vouchers available to all families regardless of income in 2023, the state budget for vouchers has snowballed from $1 billion to $4 billion.
—Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2025
The sentiment quickly snowballed as Reddit threads ballooned with grief and X timelines filled with complaints, leading OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to hold an emergency Reddit Ask Me Anything.
—Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
This year, the Blizzard Bash has snowballed into a week-long tour for Opus’ band Dead by Wednesday and the California band Skinlab, which hasn’t played the East Coast in years.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 Jan. 2025
So the public hunt kicked off in November when the book came out and it's really snowballed in interest since then.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballed
Verb
-
For example, Doak kicked on so impressively at Middlesbrough in 2024-25 that his value increased to the point that Bournemouth paid £25m for him.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The rate of lifetime depression among women has increased by over 40% in the last decade, yet periods like postpartum and perimenopause remain under-addressed in mainstream mental health care.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Following the surgery, his body swelled dangerously, and his lungs collapsed, forcing doctors to place him on a ventilator.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The ranks have swelled to four teams with the addition of the Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That increase was fueled largely by national revenue — television, licensing and sponsorship proceeds shared equally among the 32 franchises — which rose to an average of $433 million per team from $403 million the previous season, according to league executives.—
Michael Ozanian,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In the second quarter, sales rose 14 percent, compared with growth of 12 percent in the first quarter.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Additionally, 12 percent of firms reported project delays or cancellations due to tariffs, while 36 percent have raised prices, and 40 percent have accelerated purchases in anticipation of new tariffs.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Hayes was identified as the person driving a SUV in the 5800 block of South Princeton Avenue, and accelerated striking an officer.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Tesla's board has urged shareholders to vote against a proposal calling for a political neutrality policy, which would have expanded board oversight of Musk's political activities.—
Akash Sriram,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In recent years, Chanel has expanded its support for cinema, which now encompasses everything from costume design to film restoration, in addition to initiatives geared at fostering the next generation of movie directors.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ireland climbed 17 spots, propelled by career opportunities and new remote-work legislation, despite persistent challenges around housing and healthcare.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The Topix climbed 1% to a record high.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snowballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballed. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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