Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense snowballs, present participle snowballing, past tense, past participle snowballed
1. countable noun
A snowball is a ball of snow. Children often throw snowballs at each other.
2. verb
If something such as a project or campaign snowballs, it rapidly increases and grows.
From those early days the business has snowballed. [VERB]
The investigation snowballed from there and has since led to several arrests. [VERB]
snowball in British English
(ˈsnəʊˌbɔːl)
noun
1.
snow pressed into a ball for throwing, as in play
2.
a drink made of advocaat and lemonade
3. slang
a mixture of heroin and cocaine
4.
a dance started by one couple who separate and choose different partners. The process continues until all present are dancing
verb
5. (intransitive)
to increase rapidly in size, importance, etc
their woes have snowballed since last year
6. (transitive)
to throw snowballs at
snowball in American English
(ˈsnoʊˌbɔl)
noun
1.
a mass of snow packed together into a ball
2. US
any of various plants with snowball-like flowers; esp., a cultivated European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus var. roseum) with spherical clusters of sterile, white or pinkish flowers
verb intransitive
3.
to increase or accumulate rapidly and uncontrollably, like a ball of snow rolling downhill
4.
to throw snowballs
verb transitive
5.
to throw snowballs at
6.
to cause to increase or accumulate rapidly
Word lists with
snowball
cocktail
In other languages
snowball
British English: snowball /ˈsnəʊˌbɔːl/ NOUN
A snowball is a ball of snow.
American English: snowball
Arabic: كُرَةُ الْثَلْج
Brazilian Portuguese: bola de neve
Chinese: 雪球
Croatian: snježna gruda
Czech: sněhová koule
Danish: snebold
Dutch: sneeuwbal
European Spanish: bola de nieve
Finnish: lumipallo
French: boule de neige
German: Schneeball
Greek: χιονόμπαλα
Italian: palla di neve
Japanese: 雪つぶて
Korean: 눈뭉치
Norwegian: snøball
Polish: śnieżka
European Portuguese: bola de neve
Romanian: bulgăre de zăpadă
Russian: снежок
Latin American Spanish: bola de nieve
Swedish: snöboll
Thai: หิมะก้อนที่ปั้นไว้ขว้างเล่น
Turkish: kar topu
Ukrainian: сніжка
Vietnamese: quả cầu tuyết
British English: snowball VERB
If something such as a project or campaign snowballs, it rapidly increases and grows.
From those early days the business has snowballed.
American English: snowball
Brazilian Portuguese: aumentar (como bola de neve)
Chinese: 雪球
European Spanish: multiplicarse
French: prendre de l'ampleur
German: schnell anwachsen
Italian: crescere a vista d'occhio
Japanese: 雪玉
Korean: 눈덩이처럼 커지다
European Portuguese: aumentar (como uma bola de neve)
Latin American Spanish: multiplicarse
Chinese translation of 'snowball'
snowball
(ˈsnəubɔːl)
n(c)
雪球 (xuěqiú) (个(個), gè)
vi
[problem, campaign]滚(滾)雪球般地扩(擴)大 (gǔn xuěqiú bān de kuòdà)