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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snowballing
Building momentum and snowballing your income is always satisfying.
—
Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The rise of instax cameras Fujifilm’s instax camera is snowballing in popularity.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 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
The project — and Roan’s career, for that matter — has been steadily snowballing since its release in September 2023, with the star finishing out 2024 as Billboard‘s Top New Artist.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024
The ability to breach one algorithm may also indicate that similar algorithms could be compromised, snowballing this potential crisis across data security providers worldwide.
—Jason McNutt, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballing
Verb
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Despite his efforts, violence has continued to escalate with police increasing patrols and surveillance in Puerto Lopez following recent massacres in the province, the Associated Press said.—
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Progress in robotics, according to PNDbotics, depends less on increasing complexity and more on tighter integration between hardware and intelligence.—
Verb
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His ability to handle all this now, the rising fame and the expectation to be the best, is because his dad taught him how to always find his center.—
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Even in states like Texas, which opted not to expand its Medicaid program and continued to rely on counties to care for many of its uninsured, rising health care costs are straining local budgets.—
Verb
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The suspect was accelerating and weaving to try to shake the officer off.—
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Here, sea level rise is accelerating at some of the most extreme rates on Earth, while hurricanes increasingly are swirling ashore with an unprecedented ferociousness.—
Verb
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Per BrightOcular, potential complications include infections, high pressure in the eye, glaucoma, inflammation of the iris, swelling in the cornea, loss of cells around the cornea, deterioration of the iris and more.—
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Arthritis refers to swelling in the joints.—
Verb
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Last summer, her Hulu documentary Call Her Alex premiered, and she's also spent the year expanding her Unwell Hydration beverage line with new caffeinated beverages.—
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Backed by nearly $180 billion in venture capital and rapid growth in AI, fintech, and health tech, the sector is expanding New York’s tax base, attracting top talent, and fueling long-term economic growth.—
Cite this Entry
“Snowballing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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