as in increasing
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 snowballing
The codebase becomes harder and harder to manage, so technical debt begins snowballing.
—
Sebastian Avila, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The Mandelson revelations have dominated British media for days, snowballing into one of the country’s biggest political scandals this century.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
This kind of transparency builds safety and keeps small issues from snowballing into resentments.
—Molly Burrets, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
But the problem began snowballing only late last month, when Grok seemingly granted a large number of user requests to modify images posted by others.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
The result, advocates and doctors say, is that babies with certain genetic diseases are diagnosed only after symptoms start snowballing.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
But the problem began snowballing only late last month when Grok seemingly granted a large number of user requests to modify images posted by others.
—Kelvin Chan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Building momentum and snowballing your income is always satisfying.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Are HOAs required to first apply payments to prior outstanding assessments, or can payments first be applied to current dues assessments hence avoid snowballing late fees?
—Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
Sebastian Avila, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The Mandelson revelations have dominated British media for days, snowballing into one of the country’s biggest political scandals this century.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
This kind of transparency builds safety and keeps small issues from snowballing into resentments.
—Molly Burrets, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
But the problem began snowballing only late last month, when Grok seemingly granted a large number of user requests to modify images posted by others.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
The result, advocates and doctors say, is that babies with certain genetic diseases are diagnosed only after symptoms start snowballing.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
But the problem began snowballing only late last month when Grok seemingly granted a large number of user requests to modify images posted by others.
—Kelvin Chan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Building momentum and snowballing your income is always satisfying.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Are HOAs required to first apply payments to prior outstanding assessments, or can payments first be applied to current dues assessments hence avoid snowballing late fees?
—Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballing
Verb
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James Ward During the debate, Republican candidate Steve Hilton said that only a small percentage of California has been developed for housing, arguing that the state should focus on building homes on undeveloped land rather than increasing density in existing cities.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Doing so compresses the light reflected from the plasma, thereby increasing its intensity.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Trump’s approval ratings have fallen to below forty per cent, the Iran war grinds on, and gas prices have been rising, as has inflation.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Anthropic also warned that highly capable AI models could dramatically improve offensive cyber operations by accelerating vulnerability discovery and attack planning.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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New research points to a mechanism within the Cascadia fault that could be accelerating a break.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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More than 100 peacocks are wreaking havoc in the Italian seaside town of Punta Marina on the Adriatic coast, leading to local divisions over what to do about the swelling colony.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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Fluid can start to leak out into surrounding tissues and collect there, which can show up as swelling in areas like the face and around the eyes, said Johnson.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
Verb
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With revenue-sharing challenges mounting across college athletics — and some schools already cutting sports — expanding the playoff has become a potential financial lifeline.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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According to Abbott's office, the Texas Department of Public Safety is immediately expanding the Texas Repeat Offender Taskforce to the Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin metropolitan areas.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballing. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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