Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Precipitation consisting of small ice pellets formed by the freezing of raindrops or of melted snowflakes.
- noun A mixture of rain and snow or hail.
- noun A thin icy coating that forms when rain or sleet freezes, as on trees or streets.
- intransitive verb To shower sleet.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To rain and snow or hail at the same time.
- noun In gunnery, that part of a mortar which passes from the chamber to the trunnions for strengthening the chamber.
- noun Hail or snow mingled with rain, usually in fine particles, and frequently driven by the wind.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To snow or hail with a mixture of rain.
- noun Hail or snow, mingled with rain, usually falling, or driven by the wind, in fine particles.
- noun (Gun.) The part of a mortar extending from the chamber to the trunnions.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun chiefly UK A mixture of
rain andsnow . - noun
Rain whichfreezes before reaching theground . - verb impersonal, of the weather To be in a state in which sleet is falling.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb precipitate as a mixture of rain and snow
- noun partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word sleet.
Examples
-
The hill-people in the country of Lampong speak indeed of a peculiar kind of rain that falls there, which some have supposed to be what we call sleet; but the fact is not sufficiently established.
The History of Sumatra Containing An Account Of The Government, Laws, Customs And Manners Of The Native Inhabitants William Marsden 1795
-
The clouds are low and solid, and the blowing sleet is almost horizontal.
-
The clouds are low and solid, and the blowing sleet is almost horizontal.
The Ghost of Sheep River: Hunting for a Dall Sheep Ram in Alaska 2009
-
Don't have time to comment, going to give some serious tips how to stay warm like ATV and snowmobiling at 30 below or a 110 above, rain sleet or snow you can do it!
Out Cold 2008
-
Once friends and I rode 27 miles in sleet to a drop camp, only to find that a bear had raided it: The tent was down, poles were scattered, ropes broken.
Three Ways to Hunt Elk: Do It Yourself, With a Guide, or Get Dropped at Camp 2004
-
The word sleet, in the chorus, seems to be corrupted from selt or salt; a quantity of which, in compliance with a popular superstition, is frequently placed on the breast of a corpse.
Purgatory Mrs. James Sadlier 1861
-
A warmer temperature had thawed off the thin sleet, and the pavements were drying.
-
No sleet is keeping me away from the new Goodburger loation on 45th btw. 5+6th, which is now certified officially open (Eater take notice …) No more trekking north to the 50s or east to 3rd Ave, the heart of Midtown Lunch’ing finally has its very own overpriced burger place.
-
And of course around here it is never just snow; it is ice and sleet, which is a lot worse than snow -- unless you are in a full blown blizzard.
Archive 2008-02-01 Laura 2008
-
And of course around here it is never just snow; it is ice and sleet, which is a lot worse than snow -- unless you are in a full blown blizzard.
Update from the Animal Shelter Laura 2008
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.