snow

snow — noun

1. the soft white frozen water that drops from clouds in cold weather, settling ont

1.nounA1
Definition

the soft white frozen water that drops from clouds in cold weather, settling onto the ground and covering everything outdoors

Example

Pim brushed the snow off his coat before entering the warm house.

collocation: brush off snow

A thick layer of fresh snow covered the rooftops and the whole garden.

collocation: fresh snow / thick layer of snow

Common collocations
  • fresh snow
  • heavy snow
  • deep snow
  • melting snow
  • first snow

Grammar Patterns

in the snow

through the snow

covered with snow

Usage Note

Uncountable — use 'some snow' or 'a lot of snow' rather than 'a snow' when referring to the white substance on the ground.

Common Mistakes

There was a snow on the ground.
There was snow on the ground.
snow is uncountable in this sense, so do not use 'a'.

2. a single period or event during which snow falls from the sky, often described b

2.nounB1
Definition

a single period or event during which snow falls from the sky, often described by how much accumulates

Example

The first snow of the winter arrived a full month earlier than usual.

Cyrus stayed home after a heavy snow made the roads too dangerous to drive.

Common collocations
  • heavy snow
  • first snow
  • big snow
  • deep snow
Synonyms
  • snowfall

    slightly more formal; 'snowfall' is the standard term for a measurable event

Usage Note

Countable — you can say 'a snow', 'the snows', or 'three snows' to refer to separate snowfall events. Common with superlatives ('the heaviest snow', 'the worst snow') and ordinal numbers ('the first snow', 'the second snow').

Common Mistakes

We had a lot of snows this winter.' (meaning a large amount of the white substance)
We had a lot of snow this winter.
use the uncountable form for the substance on the ground; use the countable form only for separate events.

3. an illegal drug, cocaine, especially in white powder form as sold or used on the

3.nounC1
Definition

an illegal drug, cocaine, especially in white powder form as sold or used on the street

Example

Camila was shocked to learn that her cousin was selling snow to teenagers.

slang: selling snow

The news report said the gang was dealing snow near the college campus.

Common collocations
  • bag of snow
  • sell snow
  • deal snow
  • use snow
Synonyms
  • cocaine

    standard, neutral term suitable for all contexts

Usage Note

Slang term — do not use in formal or academic writing. In most contexts, 'cocaine' is the appropriate word. This meaning is understood but carries a strong informal register and may not be recognised by all speakers.

Common Mistakes

The doctor found traces of snow in his blood test.' (in a medical report)
The doctor found traces of cocaine in his blood test.
'snow' sounds completely inappropriate in formal or medical contexts.
Idioms

as clean, pure, etc. as the driven snow

idiom

Used to describe someone or something that is extremely clean or morally pure.

After the long hike, her white dress was as clean as the driven snow.

The politician claimed his reputation was as pure as the driven snow.

snow — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All three alternatives convey misleading someone, but each has a different flavour. Deceive is the most general and formal term — it covers any deliberate act of making someone believe something that is not true, whether by words or actions. Fool is less formal and can be either playful ('You really fooled me with that trick!') or malicious ('He fooled investors into putting money into a fake company'). Con is more specific: it always involves gaining money or an advantage through deception, and it carries a sense of confidence trickery — a con artist works by building trust first. Snow, by contrast, specifically emphasises the method: talking a lot, offering many details or reasons, overwhelming the listener with words until they give in. Where deceive describes the outcome (someone believes a lie), snow describes the process (someone is talked into believing). For example: the young man snowed his parents into thinking the trip was free, while the company deliberately deceived its customers about the safety of the product.

deceive ↗fool ↗con ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicIndo-European

Snow comes from Old English snāw, which can be traced back to the ancient Indo-European root *sniegwh-, meaning 'to snow'. This same root produced similar words across many European languages: German Schnee, Dutch sneeuw, and Latin nix (the source of French neige and Spanish nieve). The use of snow as slang for cocaine appeared in the early twentieth century, probably because of the drug's white, powdery appearance.