slingshot

noun

sling·​shot ˈsliŋ-ˌshät 

1

: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones

2

a

: a maneuver in auto racing in which a drafting car accelerates past the car in front by taking advantage of reserve power

b

: a dragster in which the driver sits behind the rear wheels

Examples of slingshot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its highly specialized strategy likely evolved to take advantage of the ant’s natural aggression and then overcome its defenses; the slingshot mechanism flings the ant from the foraging trail, reducing the risk that the spider will be swarmed by other workers, the researchers hypothesized. — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

At a time when his peers were writing about fanciful balloon trips to other planets, Jules Verne dealt realistically with escape velocity, orbital slingshots, and course-correction burns. — Neil Oseman, Space.com, 14 June 2026

Psyche used Martian gravity like a slingshot to gain enough speed to reshape its orbit around the Sun, putting the probe on a path to intercept its asteroid target. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2026

The gravity assist maneuver will act not unlike a slingshot, propelling the spacecraft on a trajectory to arrive at the metallic main-belt asteroid Psyche in 2029, NASA explained. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for slingshot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

slingshot

noun

sling·​shot ˈsliŋ-ˌshät 

: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones