sleet

American  

[sleet] / slit /

noun

1. precipitation in the form of ice pellets created by the freezing of rain as it falls (distinguished from hail).

2. glaze.

3. Chiefly British. a mixture of rain and snow.

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verb (used without object)

sleets, present (3rd person singular) sleeted, past participle, past sleeting present participle

1. to send down sleet.

2. to fall as or like sleet.

sleet British  

/ sliːt /

noun

1. partly melted falling snow or hail or (esp US) partly frozen rain

2. the thin coat of ice that forms when sleet or rain freezes on cold surfaces

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verb

1. (intr) to fall as sleet

sleet Scientific  

/ slēt /

1. Precipitation that falls to earth in the form of frozen or partially frozen raindrops, often when the temperature is near the freezing point. Sleet usually leaves the cloud in the form of snow that melts as it passes through warm layers of air during its descent. The raindrops and partially melted snowflakes then freeze in the colder layers nearer the earth before striking the ground as pellets of ice, which usually bounce. By contrast, hail forms by the accumulation of layers of ice on the hailstone as it moves up and down in the cloud, and hailstones can become much larger than sleet pellets. The word sleet is also used informally to describe a mixture of snow, sleet, and rain.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sleety
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• sleeting
  present
• sleeted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sleet
  simple
• sleets
  simple
• have sleeted
  perfect
• has sleeted
  perfect
• am sleeting
  progressive
• are sleeting
  progressive
• is sleeting
  progressive
• have been sleeting
  perfect progressive
• has been sleeting
  perfect progressive

Past

• sleeted
  simple
• had sleeted
  perfect
• was sleeting
  progressive
• were sleeting
  progressive
• had been sleeting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sleet
  simple
• will have sleeted
  perfect
• will be sleeting
  progressive
• will have been sleeting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sleet

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English slete; akin to Low German slote, German Schlossen “hail”; (for the verb) Middle English sleten, derivative of the noun

Explanation

Frozen rain, or melty snow, is called sleet. Walking in the snow can be lovely, but walking in sleet is just cold and unpleasant. Sleet is a type of precipitation, and it's also a verb: "Is it starting to sleet out there? Let's stay in and watch TV tonight." In the U.S., sleet is the name for small ice pellets—if you've ever heard the weather person talk about a "wintry mix," it usually includes sleet along with snow and freezing rain. The word dates from the very early 14th century, from a Germanic root.

Example Sentences

Sleet and freezing rain is forecast for Missouri, Illinois, and swathes of Kentucky and West Virginia.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2025

Sleet are small ice particles that form from the freezing of liquid water drops, such as raindrops.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2023

Sleet and rain were the main threats for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2022

Sleet could mix in with the rain, especially west and north of the city, and rain could become heavy at times.

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2016

Sleet and rain fell on the Catskill Mountains.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• deluge
• drizzle
• flood
• hail
• mist
• monsoon
• precipitation
• rainfall
• rainstorm
• shower
• showers
• stream
• torrent