snowball

/ˈsnoʊˌbɔl/
noun
  1. A ball of snow pressed together, often used in play or fights.
    • A snowball hit the window and left a wet mark.
    • He packed a tight snowball and aimed it at his brother.
    • The kids threw a snowball at the fence for fun.
  2. Something that grows rapidly in size, influence, or importance, like a snowball rolling downhill.
    • The protest started small but grew into a snowball of public support.
    • The company's debt turned into a snowball that was hard to stop.
    • The rumor became a snowball of gossip that spread through the school.
verb
  1. To grow or increase rapidly in size, amount, or intensity.
    • Sales snowballed after the product went viral online.
    • The argument snowballed into a major fight between the two friends.
    • The problem snowballed when more people got involved.
  2. To throw snowballs at someone.
    • We used to snowball passing cars when we were kids.
    • The children snowballed each other in the backyard.
    • They snowballed the teacher after the last day of school.
Antonyms