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.
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Noun
Ukraine launched autonomous craft from catapults and snared Russian drones in fishing nets.—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025 However, how the robot coyotes will take on robot roadrunners has yet to be determined, since that will require advanced capabilities to use catapults, giant magnets, rocket packs, high explosives, and painting realistic tunnels on rock faces.—New Atlas, 9 July 2025
Verb
That clarity of focus catapulted it into the spotlight—proving that diffusion, not just invention, drives influence.—Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025 Yet Granlund, 33, opted to join the Ducks for three seasons, catapulting himself to the top of a list of free-agent signings that hasn’t had a lot of pop or sizzle since Scott Niedermayer’s arrival in 2005.—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for catapult
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle French or Latin; Middle French catapulte, from Latin catapulta, from Greek katapaltēs, from kata- + pallein to hurl
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