snowstorm
Americannoun
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.
Snowstorm: Crews on Monday were still struggling to clear roads in the San Bernardino Mountains, where many residents have been stranded for days by heavy snow, The Los Angeles Times reports.
From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023
Snowstorm hits Midwest: The winter that took its time getting to the Midwest was finally expected to arrive on the first day of the new year.
From Washington Post • Jan. 1, 2022
Snowstorm, financial crash, nuclear war – would you be ready?
From The Guardian • Jan. 28, 2018
The NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers announced a special Snowstorm Savings on tickets to the team’s next two home games, against the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.
From Washington Times • Jan. 22, 2016
She named them how they reminded her—‘Africa’ and ‘A Big Fight’ and ‘The Snowstorm.’
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
