snowballs

verb

present tense third-person singular of snowball
as in increases
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snowballs The attack is followed by inflammation and swelling that together cause damage that snowballs to complete joint destruction, which can progress rapidly. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 That metaphysical connection soon snowballs into a mounting existential threat when Mia (Sophie Wilde) allows her best friend's eager little brother to have one round with the hand, after which his body is never the same. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025 Sometimes that snowballs for a defense. — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025 That then snowballs into a full-length feature Hollywood horror film. — Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballs
  1. increases
  2. rises
  3. swells
  4. accelerates
  5. climbs
Verb
  • Virgo August 23 – September 22 Your energy increases with a small tweak to your routine.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Aug. 2026
  • August 23 – September 22 Your energy increases with a small tweak to your routine.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • The damage to the sport, in terms of lost revenues and fan disengagement, rises the more games that are missed.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • That stored energy could then be recovered when electricity demand rises.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • Out over the eastern Pacific ocean, the mixture is leading to a rise in the ocean swells, and that could affect the region by the weekend.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Video shared by the navy shows a large turquoise box with the two men inside bobbing in dark ocean swells as rescue crews move in.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • Maintaining a healthy weight can prevent the chronic, systemic inflammation that is linked to metabolic syndrome, which directly accelerates structural skin and tissue aging.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • These questions are as important as ever as AI adoption accelerates.
    — Fran Rosch, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • Over the last 50 years, temperatures across Utah have risen at roughly twice the global average, according to data from the National History Museum of Utah, and Moab’s mercury regularly climbs into the triple digits during July and August.
    — Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • What this means in practice is that the coaster car climbs up a vertical hill before hurtling around 1,230 feet of track culminating in a vertical spire.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of climbs

Browse Nearby Words

snowballing
snowballs
snowbank
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Cite this Entry

“Snowballs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballs. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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