1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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. buried
  4. devastated
  5. bombed
  6. overcame
  7. whipped
  8. upset
Verb
  • Like Texas, Wisconsin has passed bipartisan tax breaks to entice companies to do business there and were losing out on revenue when the profits blew away their projections.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of blew away
Verb
  • Ceuta was overwhelmed by a mass crossing of some 80,000 people, mostly from neighboring Morocco, in late July.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Several on the ground said they were overwhelmed by the support coming from first responders and fellow reporters.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of overwhelmed
Verb
  • The dielectric features were therefore buried inside the device, helping preserve their shape during fabrication.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • There are also military capabilities there, including air defenses and mines buried underground.
    — Gabrielle Khoriaty, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of buried
Verb
  • The remains were found near Crystal Rapid, about 10 miles downstream from Phantom Ranch, one of the areas devastated by the August 29 deadly flash flood that washed out footbridges and campgrounds.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast, authorities have identified the remains of a Tennessee woman who had been missing since the storm.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastated
Verb
  • In Gaza, last December, Mustafa and Nesma Al Borsh married after waiting two years, then Israel bombed the school shelter where they were expected to live—Mustafa’s eight-year-old nephew was killed in the blast.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The same day, Israel bombed a school and killed a first grader.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of bombed
Verb
  • No, the better choice is Bran, who may not have the bloodline claim but overcame a near-death experience and downloaded the whole of Westerosi history into his brain.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Corbin Carroll hit a two-run walk-off homer with one out in the ninth inning for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who overcame two three-run deficits to beat the Miami Marlins 8-7 on Monday in Phoenix.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of overcame
Verb
  • That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • And that daring move seemed to set the tone for the rest of the night, as Kansas City whipped the reigning AFC West champions 31-10.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • Charpia’s Cedar Shoals Jaguars will try to upset crosstown rival Clarke Central, coached by Perno, in Athens on Friday.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Speaker Mike Johnson can lose two Republican votes before a third defection upsets the majority.
    — Lauren Peller, ABC News, 16 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 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 watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All