snowball effect
snowball effect
Meaning
- a situation in which something grows bigger or more important at an ever-increasing rate.
- a situation whereby one event or action causes many other similar events or actions.
- things gaining momentum over time.
- amplify
- compound
- augment
- proliferate
- increase
- a process that begins with a state of minor significance and then builds upon itself to become more serious or graver.
Example Sentences
- The mayor hopes that the improvements will have a snowball effect and lead to increased private investment in the city.
- The political situation angered a group of people. It had a snowball effect, and lots of people ended up engaging in street protests.
- The rates of unemployment were high, and they snowballed into a significant budget problem for the ruling party.
- He ignored his credit card debt and only paid the minimum amount due every month. The outstanding amount snowballed quickly and grew into a large debt mountain.
- The team has now seen the snowball effect that speaking out brings about.
- Guilt eventually snowballs into negative thoughts or conversations in your mind.
- You make more money the more famous and successful you become. It’s a snowball effect.
- The women’s successes have created a snowball effect, and many women from the community have entered the field within the last few years.
- The audience and critics panned the movie, creating a snowball effect. Therefore, it was no longer shown in theaters.
- When you set mini-goals, you feel that you have accomplished something. Feeling good makes you make additional positive decisions. It’s a snowball effect.
Origin
The phrase “snowball effect” describes when something grows in size or significance at a progressively faster rate. The idiom originates from imagining a snowball as it rolls down a hill. It continuously gets larger with more snow and becomes more powerful and faster while moving downward. People mainly use it symbolically in texts to describe a situation that starts small and builds up, increasing in momentum and power as it grows. A snowball effect can be positive or negative. Things that could get snowballed include fortune, importance, fame, and danger. Several authors like Robert David Strawn, Deb Loughead, and Holly Nicole Hoxter have used the phrase as a title in their books.
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