: 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 WebJustin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2024
Today's weather: There is a winter weather advisory until 4 p.m. today, and we are expected to see periods of sleet and freezing rain this morning and afternoon.
—Leah Olajide, Detroit Free Press, 23 Jan. 2024
With a wintry mix of snow and sleet forecast for Saturday, volunteers worried that migrants will wait for hours or even overnight outside the center during the storm in hope of securing a shelter bed.
—Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2024
Rain, sleet, thunderstorms; no destination is without them.
—Claire Volkman, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sleet 
Noun
Listen to this article Loading your audio article A spring storm that brought gusty winds, rain, snow and sleet led to thousands of power outages Thursday, more than a dozen school delays and flooding in some areas of the state.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2024
Today's weather: There is a winter weather advisory until 4 p.m. today, and we are expected to see periods of sleet and freezing rain this morning and afternoon.
—Leah Olajide, Detroit Free Press, 23 Jan. 2024
With a wintry mix of snow and sleet forecast for Saturday, volunteers worried that migrants will wait for hours or even overnight outside the center during the storm in hope of securing a shelter bed.
—Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2024
Rain, sleet, thunderstorms; no destination is without them.
—Claire Volkman, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sleet
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sleet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Sleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleet. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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