Snowball

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈsnəʊbɔːl/
• GenAm enPR: snōʹbôl, IPA: /ˈsnoÊŠbÉ”l/
• cot-caught enPR: snōʹbôl, IPA: /ˈsnoÊŠbÉ‘l/
• Hyphenation: snow + ball

Origin

From Middle English snowball, snawball, equivalent to snow + ball.

Full definition of snowball

Noun

1. A ball of snow, usually one made in the hand and thrown for amusement in a snowball fight; also a larger ball of snow made by rolling a snowball around in snow that sticks to it and increases its diameter.
2. A cocktail made from lemonade and advocaat.
3. (figuratively) Something that snowballs (grows rapidly out of control).
• 2005, Eldad Ben-Yosef, The Evolution of the US Airline IndustryRepresentatives of the small airlines that felt betrayed by Brown's policy started a political snowball rolling, resulting in the Airmail Act of 1934...
4. A sex act involving passing ejaculated semen from one person's mouth to another's.
5. (US) A type of ice dessert.
6. A type of cake.

Derived terms

Verb

1. (intransitive) To rapidly grow out of proportion or control.The high unemployment rates quickly snowballed into a major budget problem for the government.
2. (intransitive) To play at throwing snowballs.
3. (transitive) To pelt with snowballs; to throw snowballs at.
4. (intransitive) (sexual slang) To receive a man's ejaculate in one's mouth, and then to pass it back and forth between one's mouth and his.

Derived terms

• snowballing