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
Rob Wieland, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Since releasing her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in September 2023, Roan has experienced a whirlwind catapult to success — which got even more intense this summer with her opening slot for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour and viral music festival performances.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2024
Ruth D. Nelson / Made By History, TIME, 13 Sep. 2024
Going back to Vampire Diaries, the show catapulted so many of the actors into fame.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for catapult 
Noun
There are building bricks, dwarf and goblin armies, two crossbows and two catapults to use in their war.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Since releasing her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in September 2023, Roan has experienced a whirlwind catapult to success — which got even more intense this summer with her opening slot for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour and viral music festival performances.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2024
Verb
This advance catapulted the country into modernity.
—Ruth D. Nelson / Made By History, TIME, 13 Sep. 2024
Going back to Vampire Diaries, the show catapulted so many of the actors into fame.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for catapult
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catapult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 1 Oct. 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
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