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
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
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
His catapult into stardom took place in a closed-door meeting in Portland.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Bright Simons, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
The Spurs seemingly took control Thursday with a 19-4 second-quarter run that catapulted them to a 74-63 halftime lead.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
Challenger sliced through a clear blue sky, away from the launch pad on a catapult of orange flame.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
His catapult into stardom took place in a closed-door meeting in Portland.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Record prices have catapulted gold to nearly 70% of all export earnings, amounting to roughly $21 billion last year.
—Bright Simons, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
The Spurs seemingly took control Thursday with a 19-4 second-quarter run that catapulted them to a 74-63 halftime lead.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catapult
Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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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