as in increases
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snowballs
That metaphysical connection soon snowballs into a mounting existential threat when Mia (Sophie Wilde) allows her best friend's eager little brother to have one round with the hand, after which his body is never the same.
—
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Sometimes that snowballs for a defense.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
That then snowballs into a full-length feature Hollywood horror film.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2022
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Sometimes that snowballs for a defense.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
That then snowballs into a full-length feature Hollywood horror film.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballs
Verb
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The translunar injection involves firing Orion's main engine, which increases the spacecraft's velocity to send it out of Earth orbit and toward the moon.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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With warmer weather heralding spring, the amount of outdoor activities significantly increases.—
Lesly Gregory,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Massachusetts lawmaker is part of a growing chorus of voices in Washington calling for stronger oversight of these betting platforms as interest swells.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
-
His longing swells beyond love into obsession.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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What Happens Next Attention will now turn to labor negotiations, political response, and whether the transition timeline accelerates.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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When you’re fully submerged in the culture of your field’s epicenter, learning accelerates.—
Bill Gurley,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vastnaut One assists these climbs by distributing force through both the hips and knees, helping propel the body upward more efficiently.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
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Higher oil prices also translate to overall higher costs throughout the economy, as the expense of transporting goods, as well as raw materials and packaging costs, climbs.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballs. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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