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
Here’s a player who got injured and saw his velocity dip, and then the struggles snowballed.
—
Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
After that, Adams' troubles snowballed quickly.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Mar. 2026
This means that more people will have to pay, while interest has snowballed, even for those with hefty monthly repayments.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
His detention marks the latest extraordinary development in the yearslong controversy over his ties to Epstein, which has shredded his reputation and snowballed into the royals’ biggest crisis since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
So, a balance that may have started small has snowballed into something far more serious for millions of borrowers.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
The bombardment of political questions in each and every media meet only snowballed from there on.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
But soon enough, the attention snowballed into scandal.
—Amanda Montell, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Veterans could cite pre-2020 examples of films that arrived without buzz, made an impact at their premiere, and snowballed into must-see titles by their second public screening.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
After that, Adams' troubles snowballed quickly.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Mar. 2026
This means that more people will have to pay, while interest has snowballed, even for those with hefty monthly repayments.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
His detention marks the latest extraordinary development in the yearslong controversy over his ties to Epstein, which has shredded his reputation and snowballed into the royals’ biggest crisis since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
So, a balance that may have started small has snowballed into something far more serious for millions of borrowers.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
The bombardment of political questions in each and every media meet only snowballed from there on.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
But soon enough, the attention snowballed into scandal.
—Amanda Montell, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Veterans could cite pre-2020 examples of films that arrived without buzz, made an impact at their premiere, and snowballed into must-see titles by their second public screening.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballed
Verb
-
The Career Connections program allowing students to learn career skills and earn credentials, Skipper highlighted, started off with around 1,000 students four years ago and has now increased to over 4,000 students.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Before that, the rate had increased 56% over two years.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But during pregnancy, her body had swelled as a result of fluid retention, putting major pressure on the nerves in her hands and wrists.—
Erin MeanLey,
Parents,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Then two years ago, Demings and other county leaders opted against a reboot of the campaign, though transit problems have worsened in Central Florida as its population swelled.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The market share of zero-emission vehicles among all light-duty vehicles sold rose from 12% in 2021 to 19% in 2022.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Saudi Aramco’s shares rose the most in more than two years as investors bet that the rise in oil prices could offset declines in exports, Bloomberg reported.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But an unexpectedly powerful solar cycle that peaked in 2024 accelerated that timeline by increasing atmospheric drag on the spacecraft, according to the agency.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Each mission after that, however, has been repurposed and accelerated.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sunain has expanded its robot data capture to homes in Turkey, Singapore, Canada and Malaysia.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The company later expanded globally, providing voting machines and other technology to help carry out elections in 25 countries, from Argentina to Zambia.—
JOSHUA GOODMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballed. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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