I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: Middle English, from snow + ball
1.
a.
(1) : a small round mass of snow pressed into shape in the hand for throwing
(2) : a large round mass of snow formed by rolling in snow until the desired size is attained
b. : shaved ice molded into a ball and flavored with fruit or other syrup
2. also snowball bush : any of several cultivated white-flowered shrubs of the genus Viburnum (as the guelder rose or the Japanese snowball)
3. : something that snowballs
watch the toll of the steel strike begin to mount in a snowball of statistics — Christian Science Monitor
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to pelt with snowballs : throw snowballs at
2. : to cause to increase or multiply at a rapidly accelerating rate
helped the newly built organization to snowball its political influence — L.G.Reynolds
intransitive verb
1. : to engage in throwing snowballs
little boys, too, were snowballing — Virginia Woolf
2.
a. : to increase, accumulate, expand, or multiply at a rapidly accelerating rate
discontent would grow, sabotage increase, passive or overt resistance snowball — F.H.Hartmann
the differences may snowball into a heated public controversy — Current History
b. : to progress rapidly and with great momentum