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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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
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Sometimes that snowballs for a defense.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballs
Verb
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Replacing your roof not only improves safety and performance, but also boosts curb appeal and increases your home’s value.—
TIMEPROOF USA Roofing Company,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
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Taking ownership removes friction and increases follow-through.—
Brian Page,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Try it again on the next block, and this time a suspicious-looking mushroom rises from within and chases you, a symbol for transformation that the designers hoped would be globally recognizable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
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Caterpillar, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, is still fundamentally a cyclical business that rises and falls with the global economy.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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No matter the chapter, no matter the group, in London everything swells together like a great Brazilian monochromatic gumbo.—
Theo Lloyd-Hughes,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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There will be large waves and swells along the entire stretch from New England to the Carolinas.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Once average winter temperatures hit minus-8 degrees Celsius (17 Fahrenheit), snow loss accelerates rapidly even with modest increases in warming, the researchers found.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Built for flexible, decentralized power generation, the plants are designed to support renewable energy as the transition accelerates.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the market climbs higher, Americans’ retirement savings might look a little more plush than usual.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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And, the higher the credit card rate climbs, the more every swipe costs — not just today, but far into the future.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballs. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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