: 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
Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 24 Oct. 2024
There’s a lot of wind, rain, sleet, hail, storm, dust.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2024
Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, there are a plethora of winter boots ideal for rain, snow, sleet and everything in between.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2024
As temperatures finally warm — with highs hovering near freezing and slightly above it — forecasters warn to expect freezing rain and sleet starting Monday evening and into Tuesday morning.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 22 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sleet 
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Noun
That means more rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain and hail.
—Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 24 Oct. 2024
There’s a lot of wind, rain, sleet, hail, storm, dust.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2024
Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, there are a plethora of winter boots ideal for rain, snow, sleet and everything in between.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2024
As temperatures finally warm — with highs hovering near freezing and slightly above it — forecasters warn to expect freezing rain and sleet starting Monday evening and into Tuesday morning.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 22 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sleet
Articles Related to sleet
Dictionary Entries Near sleet
Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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