snowball

[snoh-bawl]

noun

1. a ball of snow pressed or rolled together, as for throwing.

2. any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Viburnum, of the honeysuckle family, having large clusters of white, sterile flowers.

3. a confection of crushed ice, usually in the shape of a ball, which is flavored with fruit or other syrup and served in a paper cup.

4. a scoop or ball of ice cream covered with shredded coconut and usually chocolate sauce.

verb (used with object)

1. to throw snowballs at.

2. to cause to grow or become larger, greater, more intense, etc., at an accelerating rate.

   to snowball a small business into a great enterprise.

verb (used without object)

1. to grow or become larger, greater, more intense, etc., at an accelerating rate.

snowball

/ ˈsnəʊˌbɔːl /

noun

1. snow pressed into a ball for throwing, as in play

2. a drink made of advocaat and lemonade

3. slang,  a mixture of heroin and cocaine

4. a dance started by one couple who separate and choose different partners. The process continues until all present are dancing

verb

1. (intr) to increase rapidly in size, importance, etc

   their woes have snowballed since last year

2. (tr) to throw snowballs at

Word History and Origins

Origin of snowball¹

1350–1400; Middle English (noun); snow, ball ¹

Example Sentences

"I've turned up expecting to go out in the first or second round, but every round I gave it another go, and it just snowballed," Mr Cross added.

Read more on BBC

They might be the analyst who notices that marketing and product are working from different assumptions and brings them together before a mistake snowballs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At the same time, the company faced “mounting funded debt and lease obligations,” the filing said, and these factors all “snowballed into a liquidity crisis.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“If operational performance stalls, leverage rises, costs snowball, and equity value can unravel–kick-starting a negative spiral,” he wrote.

Read more on Barron's

"This thing has snowballed every single year," he said of the uniform giveaway.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• escalate 
• heighten 
• intensify 
• multiply 
• proliferate 
• swell 
• widen