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
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
An innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
Unlike its predecessor, the new carrier will feature electromagnetic catapults instead of steam systems.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
An innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Soon, an explosion of violence takes place that catapults us back through their lives, from the ’80s to the present day.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 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 26 Mar. 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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