snowed under

verb

past tense of snow under
1
as in blew away
to defeat by a large margin the challenger snowed the incumbent under in a big upset

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in overwhelmed
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress snowed under by the huge pile of paperwork

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 snowed under There were no footprints leading in and out of the buildings, though with the storm’s intensity any trace of them would have been snowed under within minutes. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowed under
  1. blew away
  2. overwhelmed
  3. bombed
  4. devastated
  5. buried
  6. overcame
  7. whipped
  8. upset
Verb
  • Clad in the world champion’s rainbow jersey, Pogačar blew away the general classification contenders over the Col du Tourmalet, gaining almost three minutes on Jonas Vingegaard by the finish at Gavarnie-Gèdre.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • The day before the final, thunderstorms blew away the worst of the smoke.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of blew away
Verb
  • In just two days after launch, Moonshot suspended new subscriptions after demand overwhelmed its computing capacity.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • Penny had seen ads for his company, which specializes in working with senior citizens overwhelmed by the downsizing process and the prospect of clearing out and fixing up their houses to sell.
    — Marni Jameson, Arkansas Online, 24 July 2026
Definition of overwhelmed
Verb
  • The Saudi Air Force bombed Sanaa Airport on July 13 after a Houthi delegation returning from former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral tried to land, violating the air blockade.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2026
  • The war ended after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999, eventually forcing a withdrawal of its troops from the territory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of bombed
Verb
  • When hurricanes devastated the area in 1900 and 1915, the oyster industry remained strong.
    — Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 29 July 2026
  • Paul, as a father of six, was devastated to hear of their anguish.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
Definition of devastated
Verb
  • Bouanga's pass then set Martínez loose on a counterattack with Son in injury time, and Martínez buried his sixth goal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
  • Anderson plays the deceased family matriarch who lost her life after a pack of wolves savagely gobbled her up, leaving nearly nothing behind to be buried.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 24 July 2026
Definition of buried
Verb
  • Christian Walker hit a three-run double, Cam Smith added a two-run homer in Houston’s eight-run sixth inning and the Astros overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Friday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • Keegan netted twice in the first leg of the final as Liverpool overcame Borussia Monchengladbach 3-2 on aggregate.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of overcame
Verb
  • Three minutes later, Son put away a volley after Carles Gil stopped a ball at the end line and whipped a cross into the center of the box.
    — Kamran Nia July 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026
  • Juan Rivera tried mate for the first time from his now wife Tiffany, who whipped it up for him while manning a beverage booth at a music festival.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • Cal Poly opened the year by upsetting Big West conference favorite UC Santa Barbara, positioning the men’s team for its first undefeated dual-meet season since moving to Division I in 1994.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026
  • Should unseeded Wrexham upset the odds to win both games, a semi-final against Danish champions Koge would be next up in another mini-tournament featuring Gintra of Lithuania and Scotland’s Hearts.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of upset

Browse Nearby Words

snowed
snowed under
snowing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snowed under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowed%20under. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of comely

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All