as in increases
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 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
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Sometimes that snowballs for a defense.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballs
Verb
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Construction increases fire risk.—
Matthew Kayser,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The ability to see farther and hit faster dramatically increases the information processing burden on military organizations.—
Jon R. Lindsay,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
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Ghana’s gold regulators introduced a new sliding‑scale royalty rate that rises in line with bullion prices, despite opposition from China, the US, and mining executives.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Unlike the sleek mansions lining much of California’s shoreline, this unassuming house has always felt like something out of a fisherman’s tale—shrouded in salt spray as swells crash against the rocks below.—
Jennifer Fernandez,
Architectural Digest,
6 Mar. 2026
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Cocoa Beach is Florida’s ultimate surf-and-sand playground with six miles of golden sand, Atlantic swells for every skill level, and rocket launches visible on the horizon.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For professionals who regularly build client decks, sales presentations, or classroom materials, PowerPresent reduces formatting time and accelerates slide production without requiring advanced design skills.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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Trying to keep it in situ is your first port of call, making sure to wear a broad spectrum, high factor SPF every day–UV exposure accelerates collagen loss and can also exacerbate uneven texture more generally.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As light pollution climbs, so, too, does a countermovement to curb it.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Outside,
16 Mar. 2026
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These companies tend to see their share prices rise when gold’s spot price climbs.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballs. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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