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
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
But the real catapult came with the arrival of Mickey Matthews.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
The analyst said positive data from the trial could catapult the stock 50% higher, but negative data could cut it in half or more.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
Those questions intensified this week after new images showed the catapult system fully installed on the vessel’s deck, apparently confirming that Chinese engineers are testing the concept afloat.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
But the real catapult came with the arrival of Mickey Matthews.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Verb
Eclipses are harbingers of change, often bringing intense shifts in perspective and catapulting us into new realities.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
The analyst said positive data from the trial could catapult the stock 50% higher, but negative data could cut it in half or more.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 7 Jan. 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 12 Jan. 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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