Meaning & use
slushy season
Last updated
Meaning
nounsingular
The part of late winter or early spring when melting snow turns roads and paths into wet, dirty slush.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the': the slushy season. It is not normally counted.
Patterns
- during the slushy season
- in the slushy season
Drivers in the north complain about the slushy season, when every road turns gray and wet.
The slushy season makes walking to school messy because the sidewalks are covered in half-melted snow.
Tourists often avoid the slushy season and come later, when the ground is dry again.
Common combinations
- the slushy season
- The slushy season in this city lasts from late February to early April.
- during the slushy season
- Boots sell well during the slushy season.
- the slushy season begins
- The slushy season begins as soon as the first warm days arrive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thaw
- Thaw means the process or period of snow and ice melting; it is more neutral and can refer to any melting period, while slushy season stresses the messy wet result.
- mud season
- Mud season is used especially in rural areas when dirt roads become muddy; slushy season is more about snow turning to slush in towns and cities.
Word family
Commonly confused: slushy season or rainy season?
slushy season vs rainy season
Rainy season is a period of heavy rainfall in tropical regions; slushy season is about melting snow and ice, not rain.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'slushy season' most naturally.
Choose one answer.
The slushy season refers to the messy period when snow melts into slush, so wet, dirty streets fit. Planting tomatoes, swimming at the beach, and fresh powder skiing do not match the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slushy season”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.