: rain that freezes or partly freezes as it falls from the sky
Concerned that ice pellets—also known as sleet—were a larger hazard than previously thought, the Federal Aviation Administration in late 2005 adopted strict limits on planes taking off in such icy conditions.—
Susan Carey and Andy Pasztor
Susan Carey and Andy PasztorThe wind blew bitterly cold, and the boughs of the old tree crackled under falling sleet.—Harriet Jacobs
compare freezing rain, hail entry 1, snow entry 1
Harriet JacobsExamples of sleet in a Sentence
Noun
The snow turned to sleet and made driving very dangerous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
Houston is under a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. on Tuesday with snow and sleet expected to end in the afternoon, and an extreme cold watch follows that until 9 a.m. on Wednesday with the NWS predicting wind chill values could fall as low as 7 degrees.
—Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Before snow and sleet began falling Monday night, Houston Mayor John Whitmire asked residents to stay off the roads, noting that above-freezing temperatures weren’t expected until Thursday.
—Gerald Herbert and David J. Phillip, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Snow and sleet was reported as far south as Sarasota and Melbourne, causing many accidents and traffic fatalities and extensive damage to winter crops and berries and ornamental nursery plants.
—Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025
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Noun
These areas are expected to receive up to 2 inches of snow and sleet, along with ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
Houston is under a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. on Tuesday with snow and sleet expected to end in the afternoon, and an extreme cold watch follows that until 9 a.m. on Wednesday with the NWS predicting wind chill values could fall as low as 7 degrees.
—Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Before snow and sleet began falling Monday night, Houston Mayor John Whitmire asked residents to stay off the roads, noting that above-freezing temperatures weren’t expected until Thursday.
—Gerald Herbert and David J. Phillip, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Snow and sleet was reported as far south as Sarasota and Melbourne, causing many accidents and traffic fatalities and extensive damage to winter crops and berries and ornamental nursery plants.
—Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sleet
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Dictionary Entries Near sleet
Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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