: rain that freezes or partly freezes as it falls from the sky
Concerned that ice pellets—also known as sleet—were a larger hazard than previously thought, the Federal Aviation Administration in late 2005 adopted strict limits on planes taking off in such icy conditions.—
Susan Carey and Andy Pasztor
Susan Carey and Andy PasztorThe wind blew bitterly cold, and the boughs of the old tree crackled under falling sleet.—Harriet Jacobs
compare freezing rain, hail entry 1, snow entry 1
Harriet JacobsExamples of sleet in a Sentence
Noun
The snow turned to sleet and made driving very dangerous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 3 Feb. 2025
The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.
—CBS News, 22 Jan. 2025
Snow, sleet and freezing rain are set to fall across parts of southern Texas, southern Georgia and northern Florida as the storm heads east Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Winter storm warnings extended from Texas to North Carolina on Tuesday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to move eastward through the region into Wednesday.
—Gerald Herbert and David J. Phillip, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Wednesday holds a 60% chance for rain, snow and sleet before 1 p.m.
—Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 3 Feb. 2025
The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.
—CBS News, 22 Jan. 2025
Snow, sleet and freezing rain are set to fall across parts of southern Texas, southern Georgia and northern Florida as the storm heads east Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Winter storm warnings extended from Texas to North Carolina on Tuesday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to move eastward through the region into Wednesday.
—Gerald Herbert and David J. Phillip, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sleet
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Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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