noun

snowball

SNOH-bawl

noun

A ball made of packed snow, often thrown for fun.

"She packed a snowball and hit her brother square in the back."

verb

To grow bigger and bigger very quickly, often out of control.

"The rumor snowballed until half the office believed it."

How to Use Snowball

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLiterally a ball of packed snow; figuratively, something that keeps growing rapidly, like debt or a rumor rolling downhill.

Common pairings

throw a snowball snowball effect debt snowballed

snowballed past tense, snowballs plural, Snowballs plural, snowballs singular

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She packed a _____ and hit her brother square in the back.

A straightforward compound of "snow" and "ball," dating back to Middle English.