skyrocket

1 of 2

noun

sky·​rock·​et ˈskī-ˌrä-kət 

: rocket entry 2 sense 1a

skyrocket

2 of 2

verb

skyrocketed; skyrocketing; skyrockets

transitive verb

1

: to cause to rise or increase abruptly and rapidly

2

: catapult

intransitive verb

: to shoot up abruptly

prices are skyrocketing

Synonyms

Verb

• rocket
• shoot (up)
• soar
• zoom

Examples of skyrocket in a Sentence

Verb

His popularity skyrocketed after his latest movie.

the crisis has caused oil prices to skyrocket

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Valley fever cases are skyrocketing in California, with this year’s tally already far exceeding the number recorded in all of 2023 and set to climb even higher once figures from the typically active month of December are reported. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024

For years, American obesity rates have been skyrocketing. —David Faris, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024

Older Montanans are especially struggling because housing costs have skyrocketed since 2020, in part because of the rise of remote work. —Aaron Bolton, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024

Millions of people watched, and hype for the British group’s American visit skyrocketed. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1673, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1886, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

skyrocket

1 of 2 noun

sky·​rock·​et ˈskī-ˌräk-ət 

: rocket entry 1 sense 1

skyrocket

2 of 2 verb

1

: to shoot up suddenly

costs have skyrocketed

2

: to cause to rise or increase rapidly