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
Synonyms
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
Michael Gehlken, Dallas News, 26 July 2023
Or building catapults to launch lunar dust into orbit around Earth and intercept the sun’s rays in the space near our planet.
—Popular Science, 9 Aug. 2023
In simpler times, the best gifts for your brother were a homemade card and a catapult built from sticks outside.
—Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 July 2023
The Ford’s electromagnetic catapults are supposed to be capable of launching planes more effectively than older models.
—Sascha Brodsky, Popular Mechanics, 14 Mar. 2023
Lancets, launched from catapults, have a range of about 37 miles, Ihnat said.
—Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
Further, while most Penguin UAS require a catapult launch, some Penguin C models feature Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 16 July 2023
But throughout her catapult to fame, Carangi — who was one of the first openly gay models, Dazed reported — struggled with addiction and substance abuse, including of cocaine and heroin.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2023
Apatow, who helped catapult actors like Steve Carrell and Seth Rogen to Hollywood superstardom, saw Reubens perform as Pee-wee in a stage show in the early 2010s.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 31 July 2023
Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
For all the collective brainpower on hand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, there were no concrete answers to a pivotal question: Will AI turn be the springboard that catapults humanity to new heights, or the dystopian nightmare that culminates in its demise?
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
André 3000 acknowledged that the album will be a departure from the work that catapulted him to fame.
—Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
This catapulted her career, expanding into a TV show of the same name in 2011 on the Food Network, and spanning cookbooks, children’s books, a lifestyle magazine and a homeware and apparel line, to name a few.
—Audrey Schmidt, Peoplemag, 4 Nov. 2023
Her Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album wins at this year’s ceremony catapulted her to the forefront of the modern jazz conversation.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 2 Nov. 2023
Her feats made Retton a household name and catapulted her into broadcast booths as a sports commentator, television shows as an actor and contestant, and even movie roles.
—Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2023
The massacre has catapulted Hamas’ lethal antisemitism and violent jihadi ideology into the spotlight.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2023
Millions of people have downloaded Wrapped for Instagram — a third-party app not associated with the platform or its parent company, Meta — catapulting it to the top of the iOS App Store charts over the weekend.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023
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Noun
The defender’s career, however, did not quite catapult.
—Michael Gehlken, Dallas News, 26 July 2023
Or building catapults to launch lunar dust into orbit around Earth and intercept the sun’s rays in the space near our planet.
—Popular Science, 9 Aug. 2023
In simpler times, the best gifts for your brother were a homemade card and a catapult built from sticks outside.
—Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 July 2023
The Ford’s electromagnetic catapults are supposed to be capable of launching planes more effectively than older models.
—Sascha Brodsky, Popular Mechanics, 14 Mar. 2023
Lancets, launched from catapults, have a range of about 37 miles, Ihnat said.
—Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
Further, while most Penguin UAS require a catapult launch, some Penguin C models feature Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 16 July 2023
But throughout her catapult to fame, Carangi — who was one of the first openly gay models, Dazed reported — struggled with addiction and substance abuse, including of cocaine and heroin.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2023
Apatow, who helped catapult actors like Steve Carrell and Seth Rogen to Hollywood superstardom, saw Reubens perform as Pee-wee in a stage show in the early 2010s.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 31 July 2023
Verb
Williams, who was known for his high-speed wit and comedic genius, would take on the role of Mrs. Doubtfire in the early nineties and catapult the film to legendary success.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
For all the collective brainpower on hand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, there were no concrete answers to a pivotal question: Will AI turn be the springboard that catapults humanity to new heights, or the dystopian nightmare that culminates in its demise?
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
André 3000 acknowledged that the album will be a departure from the work that catapulted him to fame.
—Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
This catapulted her career, expanding into a TV show of the same name in 2011 on the Food Network, and spanning cookbooks, children’s books, a lifestyle magazine and a homeware and apparel line, to name a few.
—Audrey Schmidt, Peoplemag, 4 Nov. 2023
Her Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album wins at this year’s ceremony catapulted her to the forefront of the modern jazz conversation.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 2 Nov. 2023
Her feats made Retton a household name and catapulted her into broadcast booths as a sports commentator, television shows as an actor and contestant, and even movie roles.
—Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2023
The massacre has catapulted Hamas’ lethal antisemitism and violent jihadi ideology into the spotlight.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2023
Millions of people have downloaded Wrapped for Instagram — a third-party app not associated with the platform or its parent company, Meta — catapulting it to the top of the iOS App Store charts over the weekend.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catapult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle French or Latin; Middle French catapulte, from Latin catapulta, from Greek katapaltēs, from kata- + pallein to hurl
First Known Use
Noun
1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1848, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near catapult
Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on catapult
Nglish: Translation of catapult for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of catapult for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about catapult
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