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flurry of snowflakes

flurry of snowflakes

2.7
A short, light fall of snow that starts suddenly
  • noun
  • /ˈflərē əv ˈsnoʊfleɪks/
  • UK
translation icon : tormenta de copos de nieve
  • During our walk, a flurry of snowflakes dusted the trees and rooftops.

Examples

  • A gentle flurry of snowflakes made the city look magical for a few minutes.

  • Look at that flurry of snowflakes!

  • The children ran outside to play in the flurry of snowflakes that began suddenly.

  • What a beautiful flurry of snowflakes!

  • The children ran outside to play in the flurry of snowflakes that had begun to fall.

  • With a sudden flurry of snowflakes, the winter storm transformed the landscape into a white wonderland.

  • She watched from the window as a flurry of snowflakes danced in the cold air.

Synonyms

flurry
vsflurry of snowflakes
53 3.9

A sudden short burst of activity, wind, or snow

is specifically about a short, light sudden snow event rather than other bursts
snow flurry
vsflurry of snowflakes
  • UK
1 3.4

A short, light fall of snow with brief gusts of wind

is brief and sudden without necessarily involving gusty wind
scattering
vsflurry of snowflakes
1 4.3

Light rain or snow that falls in some places but not others

is a short light fall that typically occurs suddenly across an area rather than patchy

How Heavy

blizzard
  • UK
90 3.2
snowfall
  • UK
32 1.0
flurry of snowflakes
  • UK
2.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

flurry + of + snowflake

The meaning is directly compositional: 'flurry' (a sudden short burst) combined with 'snowflakes' (small ice crystals) yields a brief, sudden fall of snow. The 'X of Y' noun phrase pattern is common and transparent across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer this meaning.

Etymology

Flurry of snowflakes comes from the image of a quick gust that blows many snowflakes around at once. A flurry suggests sudden, small movement, so the phrase means a 'brief, light' fall of snow.