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
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
However, a mission that skips from one asteroid to the next, relying on fuel stored on board rather than gravitational slingshots, is more problematic.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 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
The crew — including NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — has been back on Earth for one week after a history-making, slingshot trip around the moon.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slingshot
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Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2026
However, a mission that skips from one asteroid to the next, relying on fuel stored on board rather than gravitational slingshots, is more problematic.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 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
The crew — including NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — has been back on Earth for one week after a history-making, slingshot trip around the moon.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slingshot
Cite this Entry
“Slingshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slingshot. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slingshot
noun
sling·shot
ˈsliŋ-ˌshät
: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones
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