snowstorm
Americannoun
-
snowstorms
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of snowstorm
Explanation
A snowstorm is a disturbed weather event that leads to a whole lot of white, frozen precipitation. If there's a snowstorm in the forecast, you may want to reschedule your picnic! Among all the various kinds of storms — including windstorms, rainstorms, and hailstorms — only a snowstorm has the potential to bury your car under a fluffy pile of snow. If it gets windy enough, a snowstorm can become a blizzard, dumping so much blowing snow that you can't see through it. Snowstorm merges snow and storm, which comes from a root word that means "to whirl or turn."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Things start to go awry for Bryan when, during a snowstorm, he is driving to a hospital to deliver a medical package he assumes is a liver or a heart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Perhaps you blow a tire while driving through a sudden snowstorm, with help several hours away.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Congress was out and the streets of D.C. were still frozen over with the “snowcrete” left from the recent snowstorm.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
Providence, the state capital, received 33in of snow, smashing the existing record for the single greatest snowstorm, 28.6in set in February 1978.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
She’s shaking like a mouse in a snowstorm.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
An avid skier, he can no longer go out in fog or snowstorms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Throughout its long life, the tree had survived fires, winds and snowstorms and more recently, the extreme weather that comes with climate change.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
In January, the American Red Cross declared a blood emergency after the national supply fell 35 percent that month, due to interruptions to blood drives caused by snowstorms and a nationwide flu outbreak.
From Slate ● May 9, 2026
Cava Group issued an upbeat sales forecast for this year, as cautious customers shook off the effects of snowstorms and last year’s government shutdown to return to the Mediterranean fast-casual chain for bowls and salads.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
Over the next several days, temperatures dropped into the teens, snow flurries turned into light snowstorms, which in turn became full-scale blizzards.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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