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
  • About one in five US adults now gets at least some news from online influencers – a figure that rises to nearly four in ten among adults under 30.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • In low-income countries, that figure rises to about 77%, according to Lario.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • With an American League team that comes to Citizens Bank Park only every other year, that number swells to 50.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Conditions will deteriorate further by midweek as northwest swells increase, the Weather Service said.
    — Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • 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
  • The new capital will help accelerates the development, sampling, testing and validation of the quantum pigment technology across real-world materials and product applications.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 July 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • When the three fall to the ground, the male agent climbs onto Hurtado-Cariaco and applies a chokehold, according to the 47-second video, which ends with the agents trying to put his arms behind his back.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The ride reaches speeds of 95 mph, climbs 325 feet into the air and has an 81-degree drop.
    — Catherine Muccigrosso July 17, Charlotte Observer, 17 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of snowballs for Spanish Speakers

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