Illustration of catapult
- catapult 1
cat·a·pult
ˈka-tə-ˌpəlt 
-ˌpu̇lt
1
: an ancient military device for hurling missiles
2
: a device for launching an airplane at flying speed (as from an aircraft carrier)
catapulted; catapulting; catapults
: to throw or launch by or as if by a catapult
: to become catapulted
he catapulted to fame
Synonyms
Examples of catapult in a Sentence
Verb
They catapulted rocks toward the castle.
The publicity catapulted her CD to the top of the charts.
The novel catapulted him from unknown to best-selling author.
He catapulted to fame after his first book was published.
Her career was catapulting ahead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024
The natural beds that produced Greek fire seem to have dried up by the early thirteenth century, but later Muslim armies managed to produce a synthetic version and put it in canisters that could then be thrown by hand or catapult.
—Kelly Devries, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2012
Andrew Watman, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
And a fledgling media division that seeks to catapult those books into various mediums.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for catapult 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
According to the scientists, this finding suggests that the explosive force of the flower's catapult doesn't just serve to deposit its own pollen, but also to remove rival pollen.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024
The natural beds that produced Greek fire seem to have dried up by the early thirteenth century, but later Muslim armies managed to produce a synthetic version and put it in canisters that could then be thrown by hand or catapult.
—Kelly Devries, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2012
Verb
The mouthfeel of Sidekick is what catapults it past your run-of-the-mill soda.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
And a fledgling media division that seeks to catapult those books into various mediums.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for catapult
Dictionary Entries Near catapult
Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
catapult
1 of 2 noun
cat·a·pult
ˈkat-ə-ˌpəlt
-ˌpu̇lt
1
: an ancient military device for hurling missiles
2
: a device for launching an airplane (as from the deck of an aircraft carrier)
catapult
2 of 2 verb1
: to throw or launch by or as if by a catapult
2
: to become catapulted
he catapulted to fame
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share