noun
snowball
A ball made of snow, typically for throwing. Similar to 雪玉 (ゆきだま), but 雪つぶて often carries a nuance of a harder, more compact snowball, sometimes with a connotation of being thrown as a projectile.
See also: 雪玉
子供たちが雪つぶてを投げ合って遊んでいる。
The children are playing by throwing snowballs at each other.
雪つぶてが窓に当たった。
A snowball hit the window.
Both mean 'snowball', but 雪玉 is the more common, general term. 雪つぶて can imply a harder, more compact snowball, sometimes with a nuance of being thrown forcefully.
Compound of 雪 (ゆき, 'snow') and つぶて ('stone thrown at someone; a thrown object'). The word つぶて itself is of uncertain origin, possibly related to 粒 (つぶ, 'grain, small round object').