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

From there, it just kept on growing and growing and growing, and $500 turned into a thousand, and then a thousand turned into 5,000, and it was sort of this snowball effect now for the past eight years.

From Ozy

In autumn, children might play in leaves again, then gather for snowball fights in winter.

From Washington Post

My therapist helped me to see and celebrate the snowball effect of every step, no matter how small.

From Washington Blade

The resulting particles, known as soot, land on spinning ceramic rods, accumulating like a snowball.

From Popular-Science

The risk is that it could drive it in a negative way and add on like a snowball rolling downhill to this selloff.

From Fortune

All of these increased barriers then have a snowball effect.

From The Daily Beast

Meanwhile, national attention has already started to snowball around the issue.

From The Daily Beast

When Chappelle approached them, one of the kids threw a snowball at his face and called him the N-word.

From The Daily Beast

“I am afraid we will see a snowball effect in other countries,” said Westeson.

From The Daily Beast

As frustration mounts within the Scouting world, a negative PR snowball builds.

From The Daily Beast

When you were only a little snowball, we had to hang you up to dry, and that pulled your ears out.

From Project Gutenberg

"I remember one year we had a great snowball fight at West Point," went on the captain.

From Project Gutenberg

Away went the big snowball, down the long hill, and the cadets after it.

From Project Gutenberg

When Peleg Snuggers arrived at the top of the hill the big snowball was ready for use.

From Project Gutenberg

"We want to fasten this cord in the hole through that big snowball, but we don't want to get it crossed," went on Tom, anxiously.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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