Meteorology. precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air.
these flakes as forming a layer on the ground or other surface.
the fall of these flakes or a storm during which these flakes fall.
something resembling a layer of these flakes in whiteness, softness, or the like.
the snow of fresh linen.
Literary.
white blossoms.
the white color of snow.
Slang. cocaine or heroin.
Informal. Usually snows snow tires.
Most people up here keep their snows on through the end of April.
white spots or bands on a television screen caused by a weak signal.
to send down snow; fall as snow.
to descend like snow.
to let fall as or like snow.
Slang.
to make an overwhelming impression on.
The view really snowed them.
to persuade or deceive.
She was snowed into believing everything.
precipitation from clouds in the form of flakes of ice crystals formed in the upper atmosphere
a layer of snowflakes on the ground
a fall of such precipitation
anything resembling snow in whiteness, softness, etc
the random pattern of white spots on a television or radar screen, produced by noise in the receiver and occurring when the signal is weak or absent
slang cocaine
(intr; with it as subject) to be the case that snow is falling
(tr; usually passive, foll by over, under, in, or up) to cover or confine with a heavy fall of snow
to fall or cause to fall as or like snow
slang (tr) to deceive or overwhelm with elaborate often insincere talk See snow job
to be overwhelmed, esp with paperwork
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun snou(e), Old English snāw; cognate with Dutch sneeuw, German Schnee, Old Norse snǣr, Gothic snaiws, Latin nix (genitive nivis ), Greek níps (accusative nípha ), Old Church Slavonic sněgŭ; verb derivative of the noun
First recorded in 1665–75
The fluffy white precipitation that falls from the sky in the winter is snow. Many winter sports, like skiing and sledding, require snow. Scientifically, snow is water vapor that freezes and forms ice crystals. You probably think of snow as the cold white stuff that can be formed into balls and thrown. Snow is a verb, too: "I love to watch it snow." Informally, to snow is also to hide your motives in order to trick someone: "She planned to snow her sister into thinking the cookies were all gone."
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This year, the upper portion of the river’s watershed in the Rocky Mountains had the least snow on record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the past, foods including bagged salad mixes, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas and scallions have been linked to cyclosporiasis.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Two rare snow leopard cubs have been born at the park, alongside Himalayan monals and red deer, as well as Bru the capybara, Snoot the giant armadillo and Atty the sloth at Edinburgh Zoo.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
It has not ruled out other common sources of contamination like basil, raspberries or snow peas, or identified a grower or supplier that is responsible.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The walking was at once more difficult here, the going more arduous, the snow deeper, but at least we weren’t dragging along with hundreds of others, being endlessly held up.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
It was signed by Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel in the Executive Office of the President.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
That's what Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody was doing back in 2005, in a garden shed owned by his friend and producer, Jacknife Lee.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Parks, who had previously won Paralympic gold in wheelchair racing, won the inaugural doubles with Randy Snow.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Investors are stepping back and saying ‘Where might the next leg of alpha come from?’” said Joshua Schachter, chief investment officer at Easterly Snow, referring to the trading term for outperforming market benchmarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
They were going to fight the woman whose armies had conquered half the world, the woman who would have ruled over the entire world if not for Snow White?
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Paris — There’s a present-day answer to the question that was posed in verse by the French medieval poet and street brawler François Villon: “Where are the snows of yesteryear?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
He is a solitary, trudging in his galoshes through the snows of West Hartford, Conn., on his way to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Recent snows have also led to evacuations of several communities in Switzerland and northern Italy, as well as power outages and a train derailment at Goppenstein in the south-western Swiss canton of Valais.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
An unusually brutal winter storm is set to pummel more than 160 million Americans from Friday, as a stretched "polar vortex" sends a devastating blast of Arctic air, bringing heavy snows and freezing rains.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
If, on the other hand, you start in Georgia and head north, you must time it to finish before mid-October, when the snows blow back in.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Hundreds of schools have been closed, many roads were impassable, and some people in rural areas have been snowed in for more than a week.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
The only hitch for anyone wanting to visit now is that the winter holidays mark one of the busier seasons for the tram, especially since it snowed at Mt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
It had snowed seven inches the night before I decided to get gravy bread again — the most snow O’Hare had seen in a single day in decades.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025
Although it snowed in Cleveland and Chicago this week and New Yorkers bundled up, gas traders don’t expect enough sustained cold weather to eat into supplies until next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
It snowed yesterday, and the trees are frosted with ice.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Lime also faces a seasonal risk: Put simply, scooters and bikes are a lot less popular when its snowing or raining, and more in demand when it’s warm and dry outside.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
In other words, Rakoff isn’t a judge you should try snowing with technological flapdoodle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
It has been snowing in the area and the farm said there were no tracks on the ground to suggest the capybaras - called Javier and Esmerelda - had escaped and run off.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
“Shortly after, the boat rolled over to starboard, and the passengers entered the water. The survivor recalled that it started snowing after the boat rolled over while the people were in the water.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2025
It stopped snowing and a weak sun came out, but the wind still blew hard from the north.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
