snow
/snəʊ/ IELTSAcademic
noun
Snow is soft white pieces of ice that fall from the sky when it is cold. It also means a layer or mass of this frozen water on the ground.
- Snow covered the road by morning.
- We had heavy snow last night.
- The children played in the snow.
verb
If it snows, snow falls from the sky. People also use it for something being covered with snow.
- It snowed all day yesterday.
- The hills were snowed in.
- It may snow tonight.
Adinary Nuance
Snow is the actual frozen water that falls from the sky. It is different from ice, which is frozen water already on a surface, and from hail, which falls as hard balls of ice. It is also different from sleet, which is a mix of rain and snow.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- tuyết
- Spanish
- nieve
- Chinese
- 雪
- Japanese
- 雪
- Korean
- 눈
Etymology
Old English snāw, from a Germanic root. The word has been used in English since early medieval times.
Common phrases
light snowheavy snowsnow daysnow-covered
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is snow countable or uncountable?
- Snow is usually uncountable when talking about the substance. You can say "a snow" only in special, less common uses.
- What is the difference between snow and hail?
- Snow is soft frozen water in flakes. Hail falls as hard balls of ice.
- How do I use snow as a verb?
- Use snow for weather: "It snowed." You can also say something was "snowed in" if snow blocks travel.