snowballs

verb

present tense third-person singular of snowball
as in increases
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 snowballs That metaphysical connection soon snowballs into a mounting existential threat when Mia (Sophie Wilde) allows her best friend's eager little brother to have one round with the hand, after which his body is never the same. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025 Sometimes that snowballs for a defense. — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025 That then snowballs into a full-length feature Hollywood horror film. — Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballs
  1. increases
  2. rises
  3. swells
  4. accelerates
  5. climbs
Verb
  • Though present, they are not enabled by default and require overriding hidden FeatureFlags, which increases user risk.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Thus the image is both cropped at the top and bottom and blown up in a way that increases the grain and softness.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 21 July 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Hot air loaded with smoke and moisture then rises rapidly from the flames.
    — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • Fauci also documented security threats to him and his family as his profile rises.
    — Sony Salzman, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • It was forecast to gradually strengthen and the hurricane center said that ocean swells generated by Fausto were spreading along the Baja California coast and likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip tides.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • Swells generated by Bertha are expected to continue spreading westward along the northern Gulf Coast during the next few days, forecasters said, with these swells likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • Technology accelerates analysis, but finance and accounting professionals must still validate results and interpret their implications.
    — Andy Watts, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • In her eighth novel, Davidson wraps a family drama with workplace intrigue in a plot that starts on a high note, then accelerates from there.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • In the closing scene, just as the train approaches, Juggut climbs up to the rope and slashes it with his kirpan (the ceremonial sword carried by observant Sikhs).
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
  • The trek climbs to the base of Mount Everest through Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
Definition of climbs

Browse Nearby Words

snowballing
snowballs
snowbank
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Cite this Entry

“Snowballs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballs. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on snowballs

Nglish: Translation of snowballs for Spanish Speakers

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