as in increased
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the little problems we ignored began to snowball into huge headaches
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Recent Examples of snowballed
What started as a difficult period gradually snowballed into something that felt impossible to manage alone.
—
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
The numbers snowballed as teachers grew to trust Danny Go!
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 29 May 2026
What began as a tongue-in-cheek swipe against remarks made by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of India has snowballed into a satirical political movement on social media.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 May 2026
The lack of depth snowballed into Oliver Glasner’s frustrations with the hierarchy amid a nine-game winless streak from December 14 to February 1.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 May 2026
But exasperation took over, and the goals snowballed into a lopsided loss.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
The situation snowballed into what many viewed as a fractured relationship between Reese, her teammates and the front office.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Four years later, the original concept has snowballed into a luxury hotel and working regenerative farm in the same model as South Africa’s Babylonstoren or Somerset’s The Newt, with grander plans still to come.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Then Yuki Matsui tweaked his groin in spring training, some soft contact snowballed on Adrián Morejón and Estrada began losing zip on his fastball.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
The numbers snowballed as teachers grew to trust Danny Go!
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 29 May 2026
What began as a tongue-in-cheek swipe against remarks made by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of India has snowballed into a satirical political movement on social media.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 May 2026
The lack of depth snowballed into Oliver Glasner’s frustrations with the hierarchy amid a nine-game winless streak from December 14 to February 1.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 May 2026
But exasperation took over, and the goals snowballed into a lopsided loss.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
The situation snowballed into what many viewed as a fractured relationship between Reese, her teammates and the front office.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Four years later, the original concept has snowballed into a luxury hotel and working regenerative farm in the same model as South Africa’s Babylonstoren or Somerset’s The Newt, with grander plans still to come.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Then Yuki Matsui tweaked his groin in spring training, some soft contact snowballed on Adrián Morejón and Estrada began losing zip on his fastball.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snowballed
Verb
-
Rainbow flick The chances of seeing this skill — some might call it a circus act — being performed at the World Cup this summer increased significantly on the back of Neymar being named in the Brazil squad.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Economic output has also increased, up 24% over the same period, government data show.—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Crowds around the Garden swelled past 10,000 people Wednesday night.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
The defensive sideline erupted, and Morrison’s chest swelled.—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Two Canada geese and six gangly brown-suède goslings walked among the refuse, while in the near distance the truck horns and the protesters’ chants rose up.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
The deal comes after the Consumer Price Index in May rose to its highest level in more than three years, with energy prices accounting for more than 60% of the monthly inflation increase.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
On a sunny day in late May, a brand-new Mazda CX-5 was accelerated to about 40 mph and driven toward a stationary object with the express purpose of testing whether the vehicle would hit it.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
China’s economic imbalance worsened in May as retail sales fell at the fastest pace in years, while industrial output accelerated, new data showed.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The cabin was expanded to include sleep spaces and communal dining areas for ski students—thousands of Icelanders would pass through every summer season.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
The legacy of rules dates back to 1972, initially shaped by choreographer Texie Waterman and expanded during Suzanne Mitchell's directorship from 1976 to 1989.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snowballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snowballed. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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