: rain that freezes or partly freezes as it falls from the sky
Concerned that ice pellets—also known as sleet—were a larger hazard than previously thought, the Federal Aviation Administration in late 2005 adopted strict limits on planes taking off in such icy conditions.—
Susan Carey and Andy Pasztor
Susan Carey and Andy PasztorThe wind blew bitterly cold, and the boughs of the old tree crackled under falling sleet.—Harriet Jacobs
compare freezing rain, hail entry 1, snow entry 1
Harriet JacobsExamples of sleet in a Sentence
Noun
The snow turned to sleet and made driving very dangerous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lisa Meadows, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
There is warning for sleet and poor driving conditions from US-71 South to Paseo Boulevard on Prospect Avenue.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Dec. 2025
Waterproof with a lugged sole, these will provide enough grip on icy streets and withstand the elements when the weather shifts from sleet to snow.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
New York City, Philadelphia and Boston will mostly see rain, but at the start of the precipitation even major cities could see some sleet, and freezing rain before temperature rises above freezing and changes all of the precipitation to rain.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleet
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Noun
The warm front will bring sleet and freezing rain to southwestern Minnesota and the metro area by early Sunday afternoon.
—Lisa Meadows, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
There is warning for sleet and poor driving conditions from US-71 South to Paseo Boulevard on Prospect Avenue.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Dec. 2025
Waterproof with a lugged sole, these will provide enough grip on icy streets and withstand the elements when the weather shifts from sleet to snow.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
New York City, Philadelphia and Boston will mostly see rain, but at the start of the precipitation even major cities could see some sleet, and freezing rain before temperature rises above freezing and changes all of the precipitation to rain.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleet
Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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