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
Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Advertisement On top of that were questions about a $220 million advertising campaign—led by the firm run by her former chief spokeswoman’s husband—that starred her on horseback, and was widely viewed as intended to be a catapult for Noem’s own political future.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Saniya Banks began the fourth quarter with a jumper, catapulting the Bobcats into a 13-4 run.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
An innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Advertisement On top of that were questions about a $220 million advertising campaign—led by the firm run by her former chief spokeswoman’s husband—that starred her on horseback, and was widely viewed as intended to be a catapult for Noem’s own political future.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
The conflict with Iran has strangled movement through the Persian Gulf and catapulted the price of a barrel of oil.
—Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Saniya Banks began the fourth quarter with a jumper, catapulting the Bobcats into a 13-4 run.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 5 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 14 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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