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Glite Dictionary
snow house

snow house

3.4
A small shelter made from blocks of snow to protect people from cold
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : igloo
  • While exploring the snowy landscape, we discovered a small snow house that someone had constructed.

Examples

  • During the winter break, the kids built a snow house in their backyard for fun.

  • We could make a snow house, too...

    The Creep (2024)

  • Wait, is it okay to light a fire inside a snow house?

    The Creep (2024)

  • It's not firm enough to build a snow house with.

    Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)

  • It's a snow house, Hugh.

    Rufus (2012)

  • I-It's always been my dream to make a snow house, so I asked everyone to help!

    The Creep (2024)

  • It's a snow house, Senpai!

    The Creep (2024)

  • Then I left the tent or snow house and went out into solitude.

    Academic text (1994)

  • For their winter project, the students worked together to design a cozy snow house complete with decorations.

Synonyms

igloo
vssnow house
17 3.6

A round house made from blocks of snow used in cold places

is a more general snow shelter often built for fun or cold protection

Surface Forms

snow house singular
snow houses plural

Morphology

snow + house

The meaning 'a shelter made of snow' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'snow' (frozen precipitation) with 'house' (a dwelling); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer a building made of snow. This simple noun+noun composition is common cross-linguistically (e.g., words for 'snow house' or 'igloo' in other languages) and follows basic English compounding patterns, making it predictable and comprehensible.

Etymology

The phrase snow house comes from the clear image of using snow to build a small house. People pack snow into blocks or walls to keep the wind out and stay warmer inside, so it means 'a shelter made of snow'.