snowball
gb/snˈoʊbˌɔl/ us/snˈoʊbˌɔl/
A2
English
hógolyó, lavinaszerűen nő, elfajul, felduzzad, hógolyóval dobál, megdob hógolyóval, lavina
NOUN
A2
1
hógolyó
A2
Usage pattern:
make/pack/throw a snowball
He packed a snowball and threw it at his brother.
Hógolyót gyúrt, és megdobta vele a testvérét.
I got hit in the shoulder by a snowball.
Vállon talált egy hógolyó.
The snowball melted in her glove.
Learner examples
I made a snowball.
Csináltam egy hógolyót.
Don’t throw snowballs at cars.
Ne dobáljatok hógolyóval autókat.
Common mistake:
Learners may say *snow ball* as two words when they mean the noun; in most uses it is one word: snowball.
Meaning
ball of packed snow
Collocations
make a snowball
|pack a snowball
|throw a snowball
|get hit by a snowball
|a wet snowball
|a hard snowball
|a snowball fight
|snowball in your hand
|snowballs flying
|a snowball melts
Synonyms
ball of snow (More literal and descriptive; less common as a set term.)
Themes
weather
|outdoors
|daily_life
Definition
A round ball made of snow that you can throw.
A ball of snow pressed together, usually to throw at someone or something.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
[something] snowballs; snowball into [something]
A small misunderstanding snowballed into a huge argument.
Egy kis félreértés hatalmas vitává fajult.
After the video went viral, the story snowballed within hours.
Miután a videó felkapott lett, a történet órák alatt lavinaszerűen terjedt.
If we don’t fix it now, the costs could snowball.
Learner examples
The problem snowballed.
A probléma lavinaszerűen nőtt.
The bill can snowball if you wait.
Ha vársz, a számla gyorsan felduzzadhat.
Common mistake:
Often used for problems, costs, or rumors; it usually implies increasing quickly and becoming harder to control.
Meaning
grow quickly and become bigger
Collocations
snowball quickly
|begin to snowball
|snowball into a crisis
|snowball into an argument
|snowball into a scandal
|snowball out of control
|snowballing costs
|snowballing debt
|snowballing problems
|let it snowball
Synonyms
escalate (More formal; focuses on becoming more serious.)
|
mushroom (Similar metaphor; common in British English.)
|
spiral (Often suggests a negative, worsening pattern.)
|
snowball (Emphasizes growth as more is added, like a rolling snowball.)
Antonyms
diminish (Become smaller or less serious rather than growing.)
|
stabilize (Stop changing much; no longer increasing.)
Themes
business
|news
|society
Definition
To become bigger and bigger very fast.
To grow quickly in size, amount, or seriousness as more is added or as events develop.
VERB
B1
INFORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
snowball [someone/something]
The kids snowballed each other in the park.
A gyerekek hógolyóval dobálták egymást a parkban.
Someone snowballed the bus as it pulled away.
Valaki hógolyóval megdobta a buszt, amikor az épp elindult.
He got snowballed the moment he stepped outside.
Learner examples
The children snowballed each other.
A gyerekek hógolyóval dobálták egymást.
They snowballed my jacket.
Hógolyóval dobálták a kabátomat.
Common mistake:
In this meaning, snowball takes a direct object (snowball someone/something), not *snowball to someone*.
Meaning
throw snowballs at someone
Collocations
snowball a friend
|snowball the teacher
|snowball a car
|get snowballed
|snowballing each other
|snowballing the bus
Synonyms
pelt (More general; can be with snowballs or other objects.)
|
bombard (Stronger; suggests many throws.)
Antonyms
shield (Protect instead of attacking with snowballs.)
Themes
outdoors
|daily_life
Definition
To throw snowballs at someone.
To throw snowballs at a person, vehicle, or other target.
NOUN
C1
4
lavina
B2
Usage pattern:
a snowball of [something]
One late payment turned into a snowball of fees and interest.
Egyetlen késedelmes fizetésből díjak és kamatok lavinája lett.
The cover-up became a snowball of lies.
Az eltussolás hazugságlavinává vált.
What started as a small delay became a snowball of problems.
Learner examples
It became a snowball of problems.
Problémalavina lett belőle.
Common mistake:
This figurative noun is less common than the verb (things snowball) and the phrase “snowball effect.”
Meaning
something that grows rapidly
Collocations
a snowball of debt
|a snowball of lies
|a snowball of problems
|a snowball of rumors
|a snowball of stress
Synonyms
chain reaction (Emphasizes one thing triggering another.)
|
cascade (Suggests many related events following rapidly.)
Antonyms
non-issue (Something that does not develop into a problem.)
Themes
society
|business
Definition
A problem or situation that gets bigger quickly.
A situation or problem that grows quickly as more is added, especially one that becomes harder to control.
Grammar
Dictionary form
snowball
IPA
GB/snˈoʊbˌɔl/
US/snˈoʊbˌɔl/
Syllables & stress
snow - ball (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (snow)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: snowball
- Plural: snowballs
Verb
- Base: snowball
- 3rd Person Singular: snowballs
- Present Participle: snowballing
- Past: snowballed
Expressions
a snowball's chance in hell
1/ə snˈoʊbˌɔlz t͡ʃˈæns ˈɪn hˈɛl/
idiom
informal
almost no chance at all
Almost impossible.
Examples
- He doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning that case.
- We had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting tickets at the door.
- Without a passport, you’ve got no snowball’s chance in hell of boarding.
debt snowball
1/dˈɛt snˈoʊbˌɔl/
fixed phrase
business
method of paying off debts
A way to pay debts by clearing small ones first.
Examples
- She used the debt snowball to pay off her credit cards.
- With the debt snowball, each payoff made the next payment feel easier.
- They chose the debt snowball for motivation, even though it cost more interest.
snowball effect
1/snˈoʊbˌɔl ɪfˈɛkt/
fixed phrase
small cause grows into big result
When something grows bigger and bigger over time.
Examples
- Miss one workout, and the snowball effect can make it harder to restart.
- Discounts created a snowball effect, bringing in more customers each week.
- A rumor can have a snowball effect on people’s behavior.
Learner examples
- Small mistakes can have a snowball effect.
snowball fight
1/snˈoʊbˌɔl fˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
game of throwing snowballs
A game where people throw snowballs.
Examples
- The kids had a snowball fight after school.
- We started a snowball fight in the backyard.
- They called a truce and ended the snowball fight.
Learner examples
- We had a snowball fight.
snowball into [something]
1/snˈoʊbˌɔl ˈɪntu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
phrasal verb
develop into something bigger
To grow and turn into something bigger.
Examples
- A minor complaint snowballed into a public scandal.
- The delay snowballed into a week-long backlog.
- What began as a joke snowballed into a heated debate.
Learner examples
- The issue snowballed into a big problem.
snowball out of control
1/snˈoʊbˌɔl ˈaʊt əv kəntɹˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
grow quickly and become unmanageable
To grow fast and become hard to stop.
Examples
- The project’s budget snowballed out of control.
- The argument snowballed out of control in minutes.
- Once the misinformation spread, it snowballed out of control.
Learner examples
- The costs snowballed out of control.