: 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
Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2025
These advisories indicate that snow, ice, sleet, or a combination of these wintry elements is expected, though conditions may not be hazardous enough to meet warning criteria.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Late Saturday afternoon is forecast to be rainy with periods of sleet and patchy fog with a high near 38.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2025
Winter storm warnings are issued when a major weather event involving snow, ice, sleet, or blowing snow is imminent or ongoing, making travel dangerous.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleet
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Noun
My clothes were wet with sweat on the inside and wet on the outside from a mixture of rain, snow and sleet, and some of the mist was freezing on the trees.
—Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2025
These advisories indicate that snow, ice, sleet, or a combination of these wintry elements is expected, though conditions may not be hazardous enough to meet warning criteria.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Late Saturday afternoon is forecast to be rainy with periods of sleet and patchy fog with a high near 38.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2025
Winter storm warnings are issued when a major weather event involving snow, ice, sleet, or blowing snow is imminent or ongoing, making travel dangerous.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleet
Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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