Dictionary

snowball en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈsnoʊbɔl/ (General-American)
• snōʹbôl (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈsnəʊbɔːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈsnoʊbɑl/ (cot-caught-merger)
• snōʹbôl (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English snoweball, snoweballe, snaweballe, snayballe, equivalent to snow + ball. Cognate with Scots snawbaw, German Schneeball, Luxembourgish Schnéiball, Dutch sneeuwbal, Afrikaans sneeubal, Limburgish snieëbal, West Frisian sniebal, Saterland Frisian Sneebaal, Sneebal, Swedish snöboll, Elfdalian sniųoboll, Danish snebold, Norwegian Bokmål snøball, Norwegian Nynorsk snøball and Icelandic snjóbolti.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Of something with rapid growth, often uncontrolled. Compare snowball effect.
   • Scandal, with her, did not lose any of its usual snowball propensities, of gathering as it went. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Another London Life”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 175:

snowball en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsnoʊbɔl/ (General-American)
• snōʹbôl (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈsnəʊbɔːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈsnoʊbɑl/ (cot-caught-merger)
• snōʹbôl (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English snoweball, snoweballe, snaweballe, snayballe, equivalent to snow + ball. Cognate with Scots snawbaw, German Schneeball, Luxembourgish Schnéiball, Dutch sneeuwbal, Afrikaans sneeubal, Limburgish snieëbal, West Frisian sniebal, Saterland Frisian Sneebaal, Sneebal, Swedish snöboll, Elfdalian sniųoboll, Danish snebold, Norwegian Bokmål snøball, Norwegian Nynorsk snøball and Icelandic snjóbolti.

Meanings

1. A ball of snow, usually one made in the hand and thrown for amusement in a snowball fight; also a larger ball of snow made by rolling a snowball around in snow that sticks to it and increases its diameter.
2. A cocktail made from lemonade and advocaat.
3. (figuratively) Something that snowballs (grows rapidly out of control).
   • Representatives of the small airlines that felt betrayed by Brown's policy started a political snowball rolling, resulting in the Airmail Act of 1934... 2005, Eldad Ben-Yosef, The Evolution of the US Airline Industry:
4. A sex act involving passing ejaculated semen from one person's mouth to another's.
5. (US) A type of ice dessert: a snow cone.
6. A small cake, typically cream-filled and covered in chocolate icing and desiccated coconut.
   • It didn't take long to eat a packetful of snowballs — they are simply delicious.

Forms

Deriveds

snowball opacity · snowball cactus · snowball in hell · Mexican snowball · snowball’s chance in hell · snowball's chance in hell · snowball fight · snowball prime · snowball hammer · coconut snowball · snowball tree · New York snowball · snowball sampling · dirty snowball · snowball sample · snowball bush · snowballer · Chinese snowball · snowball marches · snowball effect · snowball's chance in an oven · Snowball Earth · cast snowballs · snowball's chance · custom snowball

Translations (99)

nb snøball (ball of snow) · izh lumipallo (ball of snow) · cmn 雪球 (ball of snow) · cs sněhová koule (ball of snow) · ja 雪玉 (ball of snow) · hi स्नोबॉल (ball of snow) · tr kar topu (ball of snow) · br kouign-erc'h (ball of snow) · fr balle de neige (ball of snow) · uk сні́жка (ball of snow) · kk қар кесегі (ball of snow) · eo neĝobulo (ball of snow) · ja 雪つぶて (ball of snow) · af sneeubal (ball of snow) · cy pelen eira (ball of snow) · ru сне́жный ком (ball of snow) · it palla di neve (ball of snow) · be сьняжо́к (ball of snow) · ko 스노우볼 (cocktail) · ka თოვლის გუნდა (ball of snow) · fa-ira گُلولِهٔ بَرْف (ball of snow) · ka გუნდა (ball of snow) · pl śnieżka (ball of snow) · pl kulka śniegowa (ball of snow) · sk snehová guľa (ball of snow) · ru снежо́к (ball of snow) · ga liathróid sneachta (ball of snow) · tr kartopu (ball of snow) · ca bola de neu (ball of snow) · ro bulgăre de zăpadă (ball of snow) · la globus nivis (ball of snow) · hi बर्फ़ का गोला (ball of snow) · da snebold (ball of snow) · ar كُرَةُ الثَّلْج (ball of snow) · be сне́жка (ball of snow) · sh гру̏два (ball of snow) · sh gruda (ball of snow) · la pila nivis (ball of snow) · es bola nival (ball of snow) · hy ձնագնդիկ (ball of snow) · ko 눈덩이 (ball of snow) · vi hòn tuyết (ball of snow) · id bola salju (ball of snow) · io nivobulo (ball of snow) · fr boule de neige (ball of snow) · hu hógolyó (ball of snow) · lt sniego gniūžtė (ball of snow) · es bola nívea (ball of snow) · uz qor soqqa (ball of snow) · fa-ira گُلولِهٔ بَرْفی (ball of snow) · ltg snīga pyks (ball of snow) · be сняжо́к (ball of snow) · ur بَرْف کا گولا (ball of snow) · ru снежо́к (cocktail) · pt bola de neve (ball of snow) · ko 스노우볼 (ball of snow) · el χιονόμπαλα (ball of snow) · lb Schnéiklatz (ball of snow) · fi lumipallo (ball of snow) · st bolo ya lehloa (ball of snow) · br pouloudenn erc’h (ball of snow) · th ก้อนหิมะปั้น (ball of snow) · tg барфкулӯла (ball of snow) · kk кесек қар (ball of snow) · fo kavabóltur (ball of snow) · es bola de nieve (ball of snow) · eu elur-bola (ball of snow) · pl kulka śnieżna (ball of snow) · sv snöboll (ball of snow) · nrf boule dé né (ball of snow) · fi lumipallo (cocktail) · ur سْنوبال (ball of snow) · de Schneeball (ball of snow) · bn তুষারগোলক (ball of snow) · ug قار توپ (ball of snow) · et lumepall (ball of snow) · ja 雪だるま (ball of snow) · uk сні́жка (cocktail) · he כַּדּוּר שֶׁלֶג (ball of snow) · lb Schnéiball (ball of snow) · sh grȕdva (ball of snow) · fo kavablak (ball of snow) · ja スノーボール (cocktail) · mk снежна топка (ball of snow) · izh lumipamppu (ball of snow) · nn snøball (ball of snow) · ota قار طوپی (ball of snow) · nl sneeuwbal (ball of snow) · is snjóbolti (ball of snow) · gl bóla de neve (ball of snow) · ga meall sneachta (ball of snow) · bg сне́жна то́пка (ball of snow) · yue 雪球 (ball of snow) · ky кар тогологу (ball of snow) · lv sniega pika (ball of snow) · sl snežna kepa (ball of snow) · th ก้อนหิมะ (ball of snow) · ko 눈뭉치 (ball of snow) · be сьне́жка (ball of snow)

wikidata: Q734898

snowball en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈsnoʊbɔl/ (General-American)
• snōʹbôl (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈsnəʊbɔːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈsnoʊbɑl/ (cot-caught-merger)
• snōʹbôl (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English snoweball, snoweballe, snaweballe, snayballe, equivalent to snow + ball. Cognate with Scots snawbaw, German Schneeball, Luxembourgish Schnéiball, Dutch sneeuwbal, Afrikaans sneeubal, Limburgish snieëbal, West Frisian sniebal, Saterland Frisian Sneebaal, Sneebal, Swedish snöboll, Elfdalian sniųoboll, Danish snebold, Norwegian Bokmål snøball, Norwegian Nynorsk snøball and Icelandic snjóbolti.

Meanings

1. (figuratively, intransitive) To rapidly grow out of proportion or control, from an initially smaller state.
   • There's a further knock-on effect from cancelling trains. It's not unusual for train crew diagrams to include a period 'on the cushions', travelling as a passenger to get staff from one train to the next. Cancel this train and it's likely the crew won't reach their next train, so this too is cancelled. Disruption snowballs and diagrams become harder to deliver. 2023 January 11, Philip Haigh, “Comment: The worst chaos for 40 years”, in RAIL, number 974, page 4:
   • The high unemployment rates quickly snowballed into a major budget problem for the government.
2. (intransitive) To play at throwing snowballs.
3. (transitive) To pelt with snowballs; to throw snowballs at.
4. (intransitive, slang, vulgar) To receive ejaculated semen in one's mouth, and to then pass it back and forth between one’s mouth and another person’s mouth.

Forms

Deriveds

snowballing

Translations (7)

fi paisua (rapidly grow out of proportion or control) · ja 雪だるま式に増える (rapidly grow out of proportion or control) · fi olla lumisotasilla (play at throwing snowballs) · sv ha snöbollskrig (play at throwing snowballs) · fi leikkiä lumisotaa (play at throwing snowballs) · ja 雪合戦をする (play at throwing snowballs) · tk gar zyňyşmak (play at throwing snowballs)