snowball effect
2
4.2
- noun
- /ˈsnoʊˌbɔl ɪˈfɛkt/
:
efecto bola de nieve
- I hoped for a snowball effect when my grad student's children called their friends to be interviewed or they would come just out of curiosity, and that's exactly what happened.
It's going to help to create this snowball effect of good things for you.
- It's going to help to create this snowball effect of good things for you.
- And ever since that singular moment, it's been a snowball effect.
- And it's, it's creates a sort of snowball effect.
- So you begin then to be able to not have the snowball effect, but instead parse it.
- It's, it's fascinating too, when you think about the snowball effect that is happening with industry with, with basically the monetization of the subject.
Examples
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The lack of early intervention can lead to a snowball effect that negatively impacts a child's academic performance.
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What I'm hoping is that the process has a snowball effect and skills will come easier and easier.
Blog text (11) -
This will create a snowball effect, resulting in problems with awards and heritage activities in the future.
Blog text (11) -
Disliking your job has a snowball effect on the rest of your life.
Blog text (17) -
Respondents were encouraged to forward the e-mail with the web link to their colleagues, creating a "snowball" effect to gather additional participants.
Academic text (2005) -
It is amazing how a few good deeds can have a snowball effect on others around you.
Blog text (10) -
Initial small actions to team and reach out to the school's stakeholders may have a snowball effect that leads to a more collaborative climate and increased collaboration among school, home, and community.
Academic text (2010) -
Coming from the "paper of record," the Times' decision to enact the corrections policy had a snowball effect, and within a few years, running a regular corrections box became commonplace among American newspapers.
Academic text (2017) -
Disliking your job has a snowball effect on the rest of your life, making everyday tasks feel overwhelming.
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When one habit improves, it can create a snowball effect, leading to additional positive changes in your lifestyle.
Synonyms
78
9.5
A rapid increase in the number or amount of something
65
5.7
A rise in how serious or costly a situation becomes
13
2.8
A quick increase in size, number, or importance
9
5.0
A sudden strong increase in activity or interest
1
9.1
A fast, uncontrolled spread of something harmful
Growing very quickly in size or cost
A sudden rise in the number or amount of something
Antonyms
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'snowball' (to accumulate/escalate rapidly) with 'effect' (a result or consequence), so a learner who knows both words can infer an accelerating or growing result. The snowball metaphor is cross-linguistically common and follows a clear compositional logic, making the expression immediately understandable.
Etymology
Snowball effect comes from the image of a small snowball rolling down a hill and getting bigger and faster as it picks up more snow. So, it now means 'a small thing that grows quickly and becomes hard to control'.