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

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

From BBC

Squibb stars as the lonely title character who falsely claims to be a Holocaust survivor, then privately frets as her lie snowballs into something unfixable.

From Los Angeles Times

So how do we keep the trend from snowballing into something unrecognizable?

From Salon

"I stumbled into management. I got offered a role at Bishop's Stortford and it just snowballed. I thoroughly enjoy it."

From BBC

There was initially a little bit of "pushback" from some local churches, he says, but soon the ritual snowballed and spread around the country.

From BBC

Related Words

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