snow

[ snoh ]

/ snoʊ /

noun

Meteorology. a precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air. Compare ice crystals, snow grains, snow pellets.

these flakes as forming a layer on the ground or other surface.

the fall of these flakes or a storm during which these flakes fall.

something resembling a layer of these flakes in whiteness, softness, or the like: the snow of fresh linen.

Literary.

white blossoms.
the white color of snow.

Slang. cocaine or heroin.

white spots or bands on a television screen caused by a weak signal. Compare hash¹(def 5).

verb (used without object)

to send down snow; fall as snow.

to descend like snow.

verb (used with object)

to let fall as or like snow.

Slang.

to make an overwhelming impression on: The view really snowed them.
to persuade or deceive: She was snowed into believing everything.

Verb Phrases

snow under,

to cover with or bury in snow.
to overwhelm with a larger amount of something than can be conveniently dealt with.
to defeat overwhelmingly.

Origin of snow

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English snāw; cognate with Dutch sneeuw, German Schnee, Old Norse snǣr, Gothic snaiws, Latin nix (genitive nivis), Greek níps (accusative nípha), OCS sněgŭ; (v.) Middle English snowen, derivative of the noun; replacing Middle English snewen, Old English snīwan; cognate with Old High German snīwan (German schneien), Middle Low German, Middle Dutch snīen

OTHER WORDS FROM snow

snow·less, adjective snow·like, adjective

Words nearby snow

snotter, snotty, snout, snout beetle, snout reflex, snow, snow apple, snow banner, snow blindness, snow blower, snow board

British Dictionary definitions for snow under (1 of 2)

snow

/ (snəʊ) /

noun

precipitation from clouds in the form of flakes of ice crystals formed in the upper atmosphere Related adjective: niveous

a layer of snowflakes on the ground

a fall of such precipitation

anything resembling snow in whiteness, softness, etc

the random pattern of white spots on a television or radar screen, produced by noise in the receiver and occurring when the signal is weak or absent

slang cocaine

See carbon dioxide snow

verb

(intr; with it as subject) to be the case that snow is falling

(tr; usually passive, foll by over, under, in, or up) to cover or confine with a heavy fall of snow

(often with it as subject) to fall or cause to fall as or like snow

(tr) US and Canadian slang to deceive or overwhelm with elaborate often insincere talk See snow job

be snowed under to be overwhelmed, esp with paperwork

Derived forms of snow

snowless, adjective snowlike, adjective

Word Origin for snow

Old English snāw; related to Old Norse snjōr, Gothic snaiws, Old High German snēo, Greek nipha

British Dictionary definitions for snow under (2 of 2)

Snow

/ (snəʊ) /

noun

C (harles) P (ercy), Baron. 1905–80, British novelist and physicist. His novels include the series Strangers and Brothers (1949–70)

Scientific definitions for snow under

snow

[ snō ]

Precipitation that falls to earth in the form of ice crystals that have complex branched hexagonal patterns. Snow usually falls from stratus and stratocumulus clouds, but it can also fall from cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds.

Idioms and Phrases with snow under (1 of 2)

snow under

Overwhelm, overpower, as in I can't go; I'm just snowed under with work, or We were snowed under by more votes than we could have anticipated. This expression alludes to being buried in snow. [Late 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with snow under (2 of 2)

snow

In addition to the idioms beginning with snow

snow job
snow under

also see:

pure as the driven snow

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

snow