blizzard

noun

bliz·zard ˈbli-zərd

: a long severe snowstorm

: an intensely strong cold wind filled with fine snow

: an overwhelming rush or deluge

a blizzard of mail around the holidays

blizzardy

ˈbli-zər-dē

adjective

or less commonly blizzardly

ˈbli-ˌzərd-lē

Did you know?

The earliest recorded appearance of the word blizzard meaning “a severe snowstorm” was in the April 23, 1870 issue of a newspaper published in Estherville, Iowa. Blizzard shows up again during the following years in several newspapers in Iowa and neighboring states, and by 1888, when a snowstorm paralyzed the Eastern seaboard, the word was well-known nationally. However, in other senses, the word blizzard existed earlier. Davy Crockett, for instance, used it twice in the 1830s, once to mean a rifle blast and once to mean for a blast of words. All of these uses seem related, but the ultimate origin of the word is still unclear.

Example Sentences

We were snowed in by a raging blizzard.

Recent Examples on the Web In blizzard-like conditions, two field goals by Phil Dawson and a safety provided all the scoring in an 8-0 Cleveland Browns victory.

Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2022 What's a little heat and some noise to a team that has played through blizzard-like conditions and had a game delayed by a bomb threat, anyway?

Brooks Holton, The Courier-Journal, 10 June 2022 In a rarity for November, people in separate regions of the United States Thursday were battling both tropical storm and blizzard conditions.

Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2022 As remnants of Hurricane Nicole race northward Friday through Saturday, its tropical moisture will be absorbed by a separate cold front currently delivering blizzard conditions across the northern plains, according to Van Dam.

Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 11 Nov. 2022 Their impassioned letters are a blizzard of emotional outpouring.

Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2022 The winter storm is expected to affect up to 75 million Americans up and down the East Coast, according to CNN, and could be the biggest blizzard to affect the area since 2018, Axios reports citing the NWS.

Alison Durkee, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2022 On its northeastern zone, plunging temperatures may be paired with heavy snow, gusty wind and blizzard conditions in some areas.

Christine Fernando, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2022 Nevertheless, nothing quite prepares us for the blizzard of happy endings that follows.

James Walton, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blizzard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.