as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches
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Recent Examples of snowball
The lowest film on this list, Mufasa: The Lion King, opened poorly, but over time, despite being an original production (which probably hurt it at the outset) snowballed into eventually making $717 million worldwide, a huge hit.
—
Paul Tassi, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may be struggling with rough polling numbers, a snowballing city budget crisis and the threat of a possible recall election.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2025
The Columbia University encampment started in April 2024, when roughly 50 students pitched tents on university grounds in an occupation that snowballed into an international protest movement.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Tickets for the Eras Tour went on sale in November 2022, and quickly snowballed into an international frenzy that drove up ticket prices to thousands of dollars per seat, USA Today reports.
—Emily Forlini, PCMAG, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snowball
Paul Tassi, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may be struggling with rough polling numbers, a snowballing city budget crisis and the threat of a possible recall election.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2025
The Columbia University encampment started in April 2024, when roughly 50 students pitched tents on university grounds in an occupation that snowballed into an international protest movement.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Tickets for the Eras Tour went on sale in November 2022, and quickly snowballed into an international frenzy that drove up ticket prices to thousands of dollars per seat, USA Today reports.
—Emily Forlini, PCMAG, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snowball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowball
Verb
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If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be? (1) Infrastructure in forms of roads and increased police and fire due to the growing population.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
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What Murray did in the second half was increase his aggression off the dribble.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These luxe hydrogel eye masks, infused with antioxidant-rich colloidal gold and soothing rose damask extract, brighten and boost radiance in the delicate under-eye area.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
17 Apr. 2025
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Shortly after, Wood posted to her story again, this time sharing an April 2022 post from trans British artist Travis Alabanza that highlighted the attention put on trans people rather than other issues, such as the climate crisis or rising cost of living.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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One patient had brain swelling and developed a cyst caused by radiation.—
Frieda Klotz,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 Apr. 2025
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Almost 4 in 10 Americans said neither party is fighting for people like them, as pessimism for both major parties swells, according to a survey released Friday.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In November 2024, the renowned pastor suffered a massive heart attack while delivering a sermon on stage at the church, which was a frightening moment that, according to church insiders, accelerated long-standing plans for succession.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
27 Apr. 2025
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Even then—before the rest of the world went AI-crazy—the CEO of Google DeepMind had a stark warning about the accelerating pace of AI progress.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That might sound dramatic, but when your body is under attack all the time, even small tasks — taking a shower, cooking dinner, going to the gym — becomes like climbing a mountain.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Full sun Soil Type: Moist, well-draining, rich Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0) USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9 A great diversity of climbing roses is available with varieties to suit any garden style.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For 2024, the list was expanded to 450 companies and looked at their emissions between 2020 and 2022.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Read: The Last of Us and the power of video games One of the best things about the TV adaptation has been its ability to expand past the limits of the game’s storytelling.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snowball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowball. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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