snow

[ snoh ]

/ snoʊ /

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noun

Meteorology. a 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.Compare ice crystals, snow grains, snow pellets.

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.

white spots or bands on a television screen caused by a weak signal.Compare hash¹ (def. 6).

verb (used without object)

to send down snow; fall as snow.

to descend like snow.

verb (used with object)

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.

Verb Phrases

snow under,

to cover with or bury in snow.
to overwhelm with a larger amount of something than can be conveniently dealt with.
to defeat overwhelmingly.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of snow

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English snāw; cognate with Dutch sneeuw,German Schnee,Old Norse snǣr,Gothic snaiws,Latin nix (genitive nivis), Greek níps (accusative nípha), OCS sněgŭ; (v.) Middle English snowen, derivative of the noun; replacing Middle English snewen,Old English snīwan; cognate with Old High German snīwan (German schneien), Middle Low German, Middle Dutch snīen

OTHER WORDS FROM snow

snowless, adjectivesnowlike, adjective

Definition for snow (2 of 2)

Snow

[ snoh ]

/ snoʊ /

noun

Sir Charles Percy C. P. Snow, 1905–80, English novelist and scientist.

Origin of Snow

First recorded in 1665–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for snow

The highest concentration of microplastics — 119,000 pieces per cubic meter — was in snow from Everest Base Camp, where climbers congregate, but plastic pieces also appeared at a spot 8,440 meters above sea level, near the 8,850-meter summit.
Plastics are showing up in the world’s most remote places, including Mount Everest|Carolyn Wilke|November 20, 2020|Science News
You’ll come for the empty glades—this independently owned resort in the Selkirk Mountains has some of the best tree skiing around—and an average of 300-plus inches of snow per year.
10 Ski Areas Where You Can Camp in the Parking Lot|Megan Michelson|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
Here’s your chance to let us know how much snow you think will fall this winter by filling out the form below.
How much snow will fall in D.C. this winter? Enter our competition.|Jason Samenow|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Together, these areas contain the largest volume of snow and ice outside of Earth’s polar regions.
Surprising long-haul dust and tar are melting high glaciers|Sid Perkins|November 17, 2020|Science News For Students

There is less snow cover that might make a brown owl stand out, and browner owls hide better in brown trees.
Scientists Say: Evolution|Bethany Brookshire|November 16, 2020|Science News For Students
It was snowing outside, and he heard a knocking at his door.
Denmark Has a Riveting New Drama Starring Mads Mikkelsen|Marlow Stern|July 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It has been snowing for days, and at night temperatures in this mountain hamlet plummet far below zero.
Ice and Fire|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
By the time we unloaded our bags at the curb, it was snowing heavily.
Ciao, Roma! Hello, Newark!|James Atlas|January 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The attack is always directed to the creative mind, and when we take note as we do today, it always seems to be snowing.
Writers Rally for Liu Xiaobo|PEN American Center|January 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It is snowing, but the runway at Midway Airport has been swept and the pilots commit to a landing.
The Good Plane Crash|Clive Irving|December 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST
It was snowing when she left the church, and it snowed hard all the afternoon and until far into the night.
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch|Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
My God, how bitter the cold is; it is snowing in great heaps, and I forgot to make your fire, madame.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
I will wait under the arcade there until it stops snowing, as I have some business to attend to in that locality.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
It was snowing with a vengeance when we came out—large flakes half as big as a shilling, and in places already a foot deep.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
We ascended a hill and galloped on until about ten o'clock; it was snowing hard all the time.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues

British Dictionary definitions for snow (1 of 2)

snow

/ (snəʊ) /

noun

precipitation from clouds in the form of flakes of ice crystals formed in the upper atmosphereRelated adjective: niveous

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

See carbon dioxide snow

verb

(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

(often with it as subject) to fall or cause to fall as or like snow

(tr) US and Canadian slang to deceive or overwhelm with elaborate often insincere talkSee snow job

be snowed under to be overwhelmed, esp with paperwork

Derived forms of snow

snowless, adjectivesnowlike, adjective

Word Origin for snow

Old English snāw; related to Old Norse snjōr, Gothic snaiws, Old High German snēo, Greek nipha

British Dictionary definitions for snow (2 of 2)

Snow

/ (snəʊ) /

noun

C (harles) P (ercy), Baron. 1905–80, British novelist and physicist. His novels include the series Strangers and Brothers (1949–70)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for snow

snow

[ snō ]

Precipitation that falls to earth in the form of ice crystals that have complex branched hexagonal patterns. Snow usually falls from stratus and stratocumulus clouds, but it can also fall from cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds.

Idioms and Phrases with snow

snow

In addition to the idioms beginning with snow

snow job
snow under

also see:

pure as the driven snow

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