snow under

snow under — phrasal verb

  • snow underbase form
  • snows under3rd person singular
  • snowing under-ing form
  • snowed underpast simple

1. to give someone so much work, information, or tasks that they cannot manage it a

1.片語動詞及物B2
釋義

to give someone so much work, information, or tasks that they cannot manage it all

例句

The accounting department was snowed under with tax returns right before the April deadline.

passive: be snowed under with [noun phrase]

After the merger, Arjun found himself snowed under by paperwork from three different offices.

passive with 'by' agent: snowed under by [noun phrase]

同義詞
  • swamp

    very similar meaning and register; 'swamped with work' is equally common

  • overwhelm

    broader meaning, less idiomatic; can apply to emotions, not just tasks

  • bury

    same metaphor of being covered; slightly less common in this construction

  • deluge

    more formal; emphasises the sheer quantity of incoming items

反義詞

文法句型

be snowed under + with/by [noun phrase]

get snowed under + with [noun phrase]

用法筆記

Almost always used in the passive voice: 'be/get snowed under with/by'. The active form ('They snowed us under with requests') exists but is far less common in modern English.

常見錯誤

❌I snowed under with work yesterday.
✅I was snowed under with work yesterday.
💡The passive form 'be snowed under' is required; the verb phrase cannot appear without a form of 'be' or 'get' in this sense.

2. to beat an opponent or team by a very wide margin in a competition, vote, or gam

2.片語動詞及物C1
釋義

to beat an opponent or team by a very wide margin in a competition, vote, or game

例句

The home team snowed their rivals under by a score of fifty-seven to twelve.

active voice: snow + object + under + by [margin]

At the debate finals, the visiting team was snowed under by a landslide of points.

passive: be snowed under by [opponent/margin]

同義詞
  • trounce

    same informal register, same meaning of thorough defeat

  • crush

    informal, emphasises the ease of victory

  • rout

    slightly more formal; suggests the losers fled or gave up

  • overwhelm

    broader meaning; less specific to competitive contexts

反義詞

文法句型

snow + noun phrase + under

用法筆記

More commonly used in the active voice than sense 1. The object (the defeated party) goes between 'snow' and 'under' with short noun phrases: 'snowed them under' not 'snowed under them'.

常見錯誤

❌The champions snowed under their opponents in the final.
✅The champions snowed their opponents under in the final.
💡With short noun objects, the particle 'under' comes after the object, not before it.