as in increased
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 snowballed
What began as a Reddit post of two chess players searching for people and a place to play quickly snowballed into what San Diego Chess & Social is now, a gathering space for games of all kinds.
—
Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
That energy on both ends of the court had snowballed.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Once the wine was bottled, things snowballed rather quickly.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2026
Here’s a player who got injured and saw his velocity dip, and then the struggles snowballed.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
After that, Adams' troubles snowballed quickly.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Mar. 2026
This means that more people will have to pay, while interest has snowballed, even for those with hefty monthly repayments.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
His detention marks the latest extraordinary development in the yearslong controversy over his ties to Epstein, which has shredded his reputation and snowballed into the royals’ biggest crisis since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
So, a balance that may have started small has snowballed into something far more serious for millions of borrowers.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
That energy on both ends of the court had snowballed.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Once the wine was bottled, things snowballed rather quickly.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2026
Here’s a player who got injured and saw his velocity dip, and then the struggles snowballed.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
After that, Adams' troubles snowballed quickly.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Mar. 2026
This means that more people will have to pay, while interest has snowballed, even for those with hefty monthly repayments.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
His detention marks the latest extraordinary development in the yearslong controversy over his ties to Epstein, which has shredded his reputation and snowballed into the royals’ biggest crisis since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
So, a balance that may have started small has snowballed into something far more serious for millions of borrowers.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballed
Verb
-
The agency late last year also increased the number of citable violations from five — including fare evasion, eating or drinking onboard, smoking, or incorrectly using a discount ticket — to 25.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities have increased 91% — from 78 in 2015 to 149 in 2025.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Formed in 1949, the alliance initially included 12 countries, but has swelled to 32 members.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But this winter, despite the thin and vanishing snowpack, the Black River swelled.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Charlotte home prices rose slightly in February compared to the same time last year, although certain neighborhoods had significant swings up or down, according to the latest data from the real estate site Redfin.—
Chase Jordan
April 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Utah is at the heart of what’s been called the Sagebrush Rebellion, which rose during the Reagan era to challenge the prevailing management of federal lands, and, indeed, the entire idea of federal lands.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The decline has accelerated sharply in recent weeks, with net approval dropping roughly 5 points over a short span.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Not everything should be accelerated equally.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The war in Iran and the ensuing collapse in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has driven more cargo to Pakistani ports and effectively expanded their role in wider trade throughout South and Southeast Asia.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
To help financially vulnerable property owners get through taxes, Bristol offers senior volunteer tax credits and senior circuit-breaker programs, and has expanded its veterans tax exemptions.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballed. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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