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
What began as a Reddit post of two chess players searching for people and a place to play quickly snowballed into what San Diego Chess & Social is now, a gathering space for games of all kinds.
—
Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
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
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
Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballed
Verb
-
Airport security lines increased, some stretching multiple hours in hubs such as Houston and Atlanta, as TSA officers called out and hundreds across the country quit.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
JetBlue increased the fees as airlines maneuver to cover their rising jet fuel costs, which have soared since the Iran war began.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport – where wait times swelled to four hours again early Thursday – has seen some of the most severe impacts, along with travel hubs in New York and Atlanta.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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The interest cost has swelled to $140 million, and the bonds will be paid off after seven years, not five.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Once North Carolina fired Hubert Davis after five seasons, Billy Donovan immediately rose to the top of the list of favorites to become the next head coach of the storied program.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
While consumers worldwide face steep price hikes, Brazilian gasoline prices rose just 5% in March — compared to 30% in the United States.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The decline has accelerated sharply in recent weeks, with net approval dropping roughly 5 points over a short span.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Not everything should be accelerated equally.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The war in Iran and the ensuing collapse in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has driven more cargo to Pakistani ports and effectively expanded their role in wider trade throughout South and Southeast Asia.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
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To help financially vulnerable property owners get through taxes, Bristol offers senior volunteer tax credits and senior circuit-breaker programs, and has expanded its veterans tax exemptions.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballed. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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