snowman

American  

[snoh-man] / ˈsnoʊˌmæn /

noun

snowmen plural

1. a figure of a person made of packed snow.

2. Slang.

   1. the numeral eight.

      They retired Ripken’s number in 2001, so no Oriole will again wear that snowman on his back.

   2. Golf. a score of eight strokes on any individual hole.

      I blew it on the ninth hole—still can’t believe I made the dreaded snowman.

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snowman British  

/ ˈsnəʊˌmæn /

noun

1. a figure resembling a man, made of packed snow

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• snowmen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of snowman

First recorded in 1820–30; snow + man

Example Sentences

Instead of colliding violently, the two bodies gently come into contact and fuse, preserving their rounded shapes and creating the familiar snowman form.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

But closer inspection reveals a disturbing array of figures including people with warped faces, a snowman with strange facial features, and dogs with the heads of birds all bizarrely splashing through water.

From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025

“She was like, ‘I don’t like the way that snowman looks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

Meanwhile, the pub manager has taught Paul Wright, an Australian on a three-week holiday in the UK, how to make his first snowman.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2025

Izzie turns away from the window and announces, “I want to make a snowman! Can we make a snowman tomorrow?”

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar