hailstone

noun

hail·​stone ˈhāl-ˌstōn 

: a pellet of hail

Examples of hailstone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some previous modeling research suggests that the frequency of large hailstones striking the earth will increase with climate change. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 20 July 2025

Researchers raced across the plains to capture the inner dynamics of dozens of storms with tools like mobile radar and drones with the goal of testing whether climate change is increasing powerful updrafts inside thunderstorms, which can help form larger hailstones. —Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 21 July 2025

Researchers are chasing storms across multiple states to collect and study hailstones to better understand storm behavior. —Seth Borenstein, Christian Science Monitor, 23 June 2025

Passenger aircraft are not designed to absorb large hailstone impacts without damage, Airbus said in its Safety First magazine. —Jenny Gross, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hailstone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

hailstone

noun

hail·​stone ˈhā(ə)l-ˌstōn 

: a small lump of hail