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 The attack is followed by inflammation and swelling that together cause damage that snowballs to complete joint destruction, which can progress rapidly. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 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
  • Coordinating updates across replicas increases communication overhead.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • CrowdStrike and other cyber companies, like fellow Club holding Palo Alto Networks , have been warning that the proliferation of AI agents increases digital vulnerabilities exponentially and call for a new kind of security.
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • South Korea's strong economic growth has been driven largely by semiconductor exports as global demand for computing power rises with the AI boom.
    — Lim Hui Jie,Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • For those graduating from the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne (ECSCP), which was folded into the IFM in 2019 and focuses on fashion and couture craft and technique, the ratio rises to nearly 100 percent.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the population swells in the summer months.
    — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Seaglider is designed to handle ocean swells up to a meter and a half high.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • Its electric motor drives the fan, which accelerates air backward to produce forward thrust.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Google just posted two quarters of negative free cash flow for the first time on record as AI spending accelerates while revenue isn’t growing as fast as expected.
    — Lucy Bayly, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • The driver pulls their van off the road so it’s parked halfway on an empty lot, runs over in black jeans and a band tee with the sleeves cut off, and climbs into the truck bed as Hollywell jokingly pulls away.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Some climbs were quick weekend getaways; others were week-long trips in the summer.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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