Definition

1. Noun:

   • Partially melted snow or a mixture of rain and snow: Frozen or partly frozen precipitation that falls as ice pellets or wet, slushy flakes, often when the temperature is near freezing.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To precipitate as sleet: For sleet to fall from the sky. This verb form describes the weather condition itself.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:

  • The forecast warns of heavy sleet this afternoon, making roads slippery.
  • We drove through a mix of rain and sleet.

• Verb:

  • It started to sleet just as we left the house.
  • If the temperature hovers around zero, it will likely sleet instead of snow.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Meteorological Context: "Sleet" specifically refers to precipitation that is ice pellets or partially melted snowflakes that refreeze before reaching the ground. It is distinct from "freezing rain" (which falls as liquid and freezes on contact) and "hail" (which is associated with thunderstorms).
• Common Constructions: The verb is almost always used impersonally with "it" as the subject (e.g., ).

Variants and Related Words

• Sleety (adjective): Characterized by or resembling sleet.
  • We endured a cold, sleety day.

Synonyms

• Noun: Ice pellets, winter mix, wintry precipitation.
• Verb: To precipitate sleet. (Note: There is no single common verb synonym; the concept is usually expressed with the verb "sleet" itself or phrases like "rain and snow mixed.")

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Rain, sleet, or snow": A phrase often used to denote persistence regardless of weather conditions, famously associated with postal service mottoes (e.g., ).
  • The delivery service operates in all weather, come rain, sleet, or snow.

Noun

1. partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)

Verb

1. precipitate as a mixture of rain and snow
   • If the temperature rises above freezing, it will probably sleet