snowballing

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "snowballing" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a situation that is rapidly increasing in size, intensity, or complexity. An example: "The project's challenges began snowballing, making it difficult to meet deadlines." Alternative expressions include "escalating" and "growing rapidly."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

There is a real prospect of deficits snowballing and, unless the government finds extra money, an accelerating decline in NHS performance and a deterioration in patient care", said Richard Murray, director of policy at the King's Fund.

The Guardian

This was then repeated through multiple accounts, snowballing the sums involved, until the attacker withdrew all the coins.The next day Poloniex, which describes itself as "a fast, secure exchange" for trading virtual currencies, said a hacker had exploited a flaw in its software and made off with 12.3% of its Bitcoins.

The Economist

Tata has not escaped unharmed from the snowballing scandal over the Department of Telecommunications' decision, in 2008, to allocate wireless spectrum to favoured companies at below market prices.

The Economist

"The movement is snowballing day by day," says Shawan Jabarin, head of a Palestinian human-rights group, al-Haq, who himself spent eight years in administrative detention.Many Palestinians doubt they will ever get a state.

The Economist

Truly Primary colour Into the suburbs Plucking the golden goose Money and brains Snowballing to freedom The mystery of Michael Bloomberg ReprintsNeither has come to pass.

The Economist

Truly Primary colour Into the suburbs Plucking the golden goose Money and brains Snowballing to freedom The mystery of Michael Bloomberg ReprintsThree men appear to have a good shot at the nomination: Mr Obama, Blair Hull, a former securities trader, and Dan Hynes, the state comptroller.

The Economist

Gansa said: "What was happening at the start of the year, the whole Edward Snowden thing was really snowballing, the rise of Isis was happening, then there were the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

Independent

Behind the snowballing success of the Ugly Girls Club lies a very simple motivation: "Maybe it makes people feel better, maybe people won't wear makeup today because the campaign inspires them to feel okay with their appearance.

Independent

And so it seems, in an attempt to stop a scandal from snowballing, Spotify has immediately said sorry and offered a more detailed explanation of its new terms and conditions.

Independent

Importantly, today's remixes of retro music are centred on a genuine club scene, which is snowballing in the UK, Europe, and beyond.

Independent

Having deferred for two years to act full-time, she is finding it difficult to take a break from her rapidly snowballing career to return to academe.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Apply this term in both metaphorical contexts (scandals, trends) and literal descriptions of cumulative growth (interest, deficits).

Common error

Avoid using "snowballing" for simple, steady increases. The term specifically implies that the rate of growth is increasing because of the growth itself. If a project is just getting slightly larger every day at a constant rate, use "growing steadily" instead.

Linguistic Context

As a present participle of the verb "snowball", "snowballing" functions as a gerund, a participle, or an attributive adjective. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a grammatically standard form used to indicate progressive, cumulative action.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Formal & Business

15%

General Reference

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Social Media

3%

Academic Prose

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "snowballing" is a powerful idiomatic term that has transitioned into a standard tool for professional writers. It perfectly captures the essence of cumulative growth and self-reinforcing momentum. Ludwig AI demonstrates its high frequency in top-tier news sources, where it is used to describe everything from financial crises to viral trends. While highly versatile, it is most effective when the situation described actually involves an acceleration of scale or intensity over time. For writers, it serves as a more vivid alternative to "increasing" or "growing", providing a clear mental image of a process gaining speed and mass.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

escalating

Focuses more on the increase in intensity or scale, often in the context of conflict or tension.

mushrooming

Emphasizes the sudden and rapid nature of the growth, similar to how fungi appear.

ballooning

Suggests a significant increase in volume or size, often used for costs or debt.

spiraling

Often implies a loss of control, typically used for negative situations like debt or violence.

burgeoning

Carries a more positive or organic connotation of beginning to grow or flourish rapidly.

proliferating

Refers specifically to a rapid increase in number or the multiplication of units.

mounting

Describes a steady, cumulative increase, though it lacks the specific 'acceleration' nuance.

intensifying

Focuses on the strength or depth of a situation rather than its physical size or quantity.

accumulating

Focuses on the gathering or amassing of something over time.

expanding

A more general term for becoming larger, lacks the idiomatic 'momentum' of the original.

FAQs

How do I use "snowballing" in a sentence?

You can use it as a verb or an adjective. For example: "The minor disagreement was soon "snowballing into" a major crisis" or "We are facing a "snowballing deficit" that requires immediate attention."

What is a more formal synonym for "snowballing"?

In professional or academic writing, you might prefer "escalating", "intensifying", or "proliferating" depending on whether you mean growth in scale, power, or quantity.

Is "snowballing" a negative term?

Not necessarily, though it is frequently used for negative developments like scandals or debt. It can also describe positive momentum, such as "snowballing success" or a growing movement.

Can I use "snowballing" in a scientific paper?

While it is more common in journalism and business, it is acceptable in science to describe cumulative feedback loops. However, "compounding" or "exponentially increasing" might be more precise for technical data.