hailstone

noun

hail·​stone ˈhāl-ˌstōn How to pronounce hailstone (audio)
: a pellet of hail

Examples of hailstone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of a potential severe weather outbreak across the Southern Plains, with the possibility of several tornadoes, destructive wind gusts reaching 80 to 100 mph, and giant hailstones up to 5 inches in diameter—about the size of a pineapple. Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025 Those clouds are made up of particles including raindrops, ice crystals and soft hailstones known as graupel. Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 16 July 2024 The National Weather Service warned that wind speeds of 70 mph are capable of causing structural damage to mobile homes, outbuildings, and rooftops, while the large hailstones could easily shatter windows and dent vehicles. Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 Those pulses bounce off raindrops, snowflakes, hailstones—what meteorologists collectively call hydrometeors—and back to the dish antenna. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hailstone

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hailstone was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Hailstone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hailstone. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

hailstone

noun
hail·​stone ˈhā(ə)l-ˌstōn How to pronounce hailstone (audio)
: a small lump of hail

More from Merriam-Webster on hailstone

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