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
  • While the hurricane is not expected to make landfall, swells created by the hurricane could affect the coast of southwest Mexico and Baja California, as well as Southern California, per the National Hurricane Center.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While Karina was expected to stay well away from land, swells from the storm were likely to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions along parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula, the hurricane center said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • Below that threshold, operating the observatory becomes increasingly difficult and its descent accelerates, NASA officials said in the statement.
    — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The fix accelerates that to two years with just a 5% discount.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • As tuition climbs and federal oversight tightens on low-earning programs, a new tool lets families compare outcomes across California campuses.
    — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Maintenance and repair costs on a new car already run about 11 cents a mile, and that figure climbs as a vehicle ages and mileage increases.
    — Emily Mercer, USA Today, 27 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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