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
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 21 Dec. 2025
But the real catapult came with the arrival of Mickey Matthews.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
The Peabody Award-winning show also catapulted the careers of Carell, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms and more.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
This ship has electromagnetic catapults (EMALS), new deck layouts, and new command-and-control systems.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 21 Dec. 2025
But the real catapult came with the arrival of Mickey Matthews.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Verb
And Katy Perry, one of six notable women catapulted to the edge of space, got a lot of it.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
The Peabody Award-winning show also catapulted the careers of Carell, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms and more.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
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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