For some, it’s just the season between spring and autumn, but winter is full of amazing sights, sounds, and activities that deserve the right vocabulary. Thankfully, there is no end to the words for this weird, wild, and wondrous season. It’s snow joke!
Winter Weather Words and Phrases
Winter weather is like no other season. Some days it’s clear and lovely. Some days you’re looking for other words for snow because there’s so much falling or on the ground that the basic word just doesn’t do it justice.
- Arctic blast
- black ice
- blizzard
- bomb cyclone
- cold snap
- freezing rain
- flurry
- icy
- icy precipitation
- Nor'easter
- polar vortex
- powder
- slush
- snowstorm
- snowy
- wind chill
- wintry mix
Words To Describe Winter Temperatures
Words Related to the Winter Season
There are a lot of words related to winter, from how things look outdoors or seem when it’s really cold for several months on end to helpful tools to keep the frost at bay.
Printable List of Words Related to Winter
To help make it easier for you to remember some of these winter words, consider saving or printing a copy of the winter word list below. It has a lot of the terms mentioned above on it, as well as a few new ones for you to explore. Save it for future reference or use it as a tool for studying winter vocabulary words.
Words and Phrases for Items That Keep You Warm
With so many types of winter weather, it’s easy to see just how important it is to stay warm during these months. Discover terms for various items and equipment that can help you stay warm when the temperature is low.
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Words for Cold Weather Apparel and Accessories
Dressing in layers is a great way to keep yourself warm in the winter without overheating. Make sure your closet is stocked with plenty of winter clothing.
Terms for Winter Outerwear
When you’re going to be outside during the coldest time of winter, you’ll need to go beyond winter season apparel and bundle up in layers of outerwear.
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Foods To Enjoy During Winter
Winter is almost entirely about comfort foods that fill your tummy, warm your body, and brighten up your spirits. Whether it’s because they grow and taste great when it’s cold outside, as with greens like kale or turnips, or if they’re just warming foods because they’re thick and hearty, like beef stew or chowder, these comfort foods are perfect for winter season meals.
- beef stew
- bread pudding
- candy canes
- chicken and dumplings
- chicken noodle soup
- chowder
- figgy pudding
- fruitcake
- gingerbread
- glazed ham
- latkes
- matzo ball soup
- parsnips
- pecan pie
- peppermint bark
- roast beef
- root vegetables
- shepherd’s pie
- spice cake
- sticky toffee pudding
- sweet potatoes
- turnip greens
- winter squash
- yule log
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Warming Winter Beverages
When the temperatures are freezing outside, there’s nothing better than sipping on a warming winter beverage. Whether the beverage itself is hot, as with hot cocoa, or if it’s just thick and comforting, like eggnog, these warming beverages are perfect for a winter day.
Winter Sports Vocabulary Words
While a lot of sports are best enjoyed when it’s warm outside, there are actually plenty of great sports to enjoy during the winter. Whether you like to watch sports on television or you’re looking to ski, there are plenty of options to consider.
- bobsledding
- broomball
- cross-country skiing
- curling
- dog sledding
- downhill skiing
- football
- ice climbing
- ice hockey
- ice skating
- luge
- mountaineering
- snowboarding
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Words To Describe Other Winter Activities
Not all wintertime activities involve organized sports. Try your hand at some of these fun things to do when it’s cold outside.
- caroling
- ice fishing
- shoveling snow
- sledding
- sleigh rides
- snowball fights
- snowmobiling
- snow tubing
- tobogganing
- volunteering
Wintertime Holidays and Observances
Quite a few holidays fall during the wintertime months. No winter words vocabulary list is complete without committing some of these celebrations to memory.
- Advent
- Boxing Day
- Christmas
- Feast of Saint Nicholas
- Hanukkah
- Kwanzaa
- Las Posadas
- Lunar New Year
- New Year’s Day
- New Year’s Eve
- St. Lucia Day
- Super Bowl Sunday
- The Epiphany
- Valentine’s Day
- Winter solstice
- Yule
Explore vocabulary words specific to certain winter celebrations. For example, discover a long list of Christmas words from “a” to “z” and other words for Santa Claus around the world.
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Unique Winter Words
You may not actually use or see these old winter words often, but it never hurts to keep them in your back pocket. Now you’re prepared if you ever need the word for falling in the snow or rolling snow up.
First-Footer
Used primarily in Scottish, Manx, and Northern English tradition, the first-footer is simply the first person who sets foot in your home in the New Year.
Graupel
Not quite snow and not quite hail, graupel is a form of precipitation that appears as small, frozen pellets that fall from the sky. Graupel is smaller and softer than hail, while each individual graupel pellet is bigger than an individual snowflake.
Hapwarm
Hapwarm (sometimes written as hap-warm) is a now rare Scottish word. Hap is a verb meaning “to wrap around a person for warmth.” Put together with warm, and you get hapwarm, a noun that refers to any warm wrap or garment, like a nice coat or jacket.
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Hoarfrost
Hoarfrost (pronounced “hor- frost”) describes the icy, crystalline deposits that you usually see on vegetation caused by frozen dew. Hoar is an Old English word that normally refers to hair that turns grayish-white from age, a reference to how hoarfrost can often appear like spiky fur.
Kedge-Gutted
Kedge-gutted refers to feeling ill after overeating. It likely comes as a reference to a kedge-anchor, which is a small anchor. After gorging yourself on food, your gut probably feels as heavy as an anchor.
Moble
Moble (pronounced “maw-bull”) comes from an unknown origin, though you’ll likely still hear it in certain regions of the U.K. It’s a verb that refers to the act of muffling or wrapping up someone’s head and face.
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Mysig
Mysig (pronounced “mee-sig”) is a Swedish word similar to the Danish word hygge. Mysig roughly translates to “cozy, comfortable, and warm,” but it more broadly refers to the finding warmth and contentment among friends, family, and your favorite hobbies while in the cold, dark of winter.
Sitzmark
If you’ve ever gone skiing and fallen into the snow, you’ve made a sitzmark. A sitzmark is the impression left by your behind when you’ve fallen backward in the snow.
Building Your Winter Vocabulary
Master these winter words and you’ll be well on your way to building a strong winter vocabulary. You’ll be able to list must-have items, come up with cold weather activities, and plan meals that are both warming and delicious. Now that you have added more winter words to your vocabulary, try your luck with some winter word games.