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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.
Examples of blizzard in a Sentence
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2025
In the Allegheny Mountains, which straddle Virginia and West Virginia and extend into Maryland and Pennsylvania, a blizzard warning is in effect from 1 p.m. Sunday until 3 p.m. Monday.
—Amy Graff, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Seven people died during a Jan. 31-Feb. 2 snowstorm (nicknamed the Groundhog Day blizzard) that dropped 21.2 inches — the third largest snowfall in the city’s history.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
The Boeing 737-200 that was en route to Tampa departed from Runway 36 at Washington National Airport at 4 p.m., despite the dangerous blizzard conditions, according to various media reports at the time.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Blizzard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blizzard. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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blizzard
noun
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