catapult

noun

cat·a·pult | \ ˈka-tə-ˌpəlt

, -ˌpu̇lt\

Definition of catapult

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an ancient military device for hurling missiles

2 : a device for launching an airplane at flying speed (as from an aircraft carrier)

catapult

verb

catapulted; catapulting; catapults

Definition of catapult (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to throw or launch by or as if by a catapult

intransitive verb

: to become catapulted he catapulted to fame

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about catapult

Keep scrolling for more

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: Noun

Experts attributed its catapult to seventh place as partly influenced by a shift in how data researchers compiled the final list. — Marissa J. Lang, Washington Post, "D.C. ranks No. 7 on list of the world’s safest large cities," 30 Aug. 2019 Participants will have the opportunity to program one of the world’s smallest robots, make instruments and LED bracelets, fly gliders and launch catapults. — Houston Chronicle, "Family Fun: ‘In a Pickle Festival,’ ‘9/11 Heroes Run’," 5 Sep. 2019 Sometimes, instead of catapults or trebuchets, the attacking army would use miners. — William Gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 11 Apr. 2019 For Boy Scout age youth (boys ages 11–17) Troop 513 will teach the basics of knot tying and guide the boys in building pencil catapults followed by cooking Dutch oven desserts. — Sam Boyer, cleveland.com, "There’s nothing quite like parenting a 3-year-old: Whit & Whimsey," 25 July 2019 Equally predictably, the white knights of outrage launch their counterassault catapults toward an overbroad range of targets and inflict extensive collateral damage. — Danielle Allen, Twin Cities, "Danielle Allen: Don’t fall into Trump’s trap," 23 July 2019 Other activities include make-your-own bubble mix, a tie-dye station, testing of the properties of different slime recipes and paint-ball catapults. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "Ooey, gooey, slimy, grimy: It’s a 2-day Mess Fest for kids at CT Science Center," 19 June 2019 And often, from inside the walls, great stone balls would answer back from the defender's own catapults, aimed directly at the attacker's stone throwers. — William Gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 11 Apr. 2019 Zero-to-60 mph acceleration is 8.1 seconds, a flaming catapult of temperance. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "Lexus ES 300h: Spend on the Luxury, Save on Gas Money," 24 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And the latest Big Ten championship came in 2015 and catapulted the Spartans into the College Football Playoff in its second year of existence. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "On cusp of history, Mark Dantonio still thirsts for greatness at Michigan State," 14 Sep. 2019 His victory quickly became a cultural turning point in Italy’s polarized climate around immigration, drawing scorn from Italy’s leading populist and far-right politicians, and catapulting Mahmood into the national spotlight. — Julia Webster, Time, "This Italian-Egyptian Singer Was Attacked By Populist Politicians. His Groundbreaking Success Is Silencing Critics," 11 Sep. 2019 With two wins from their opening two league fixtures, Conte appears to be handling the position well, as victories over Lecce and Cagliari have catapulted the Nerazzurri to the top of Serie A, albeit with the new season only in its infancy. — SI.com, "Inter Manager Antonio Conte Revealed as Serie A's Highest Paid Manager Ever," 11 Sep. 2019 That is, if one of the progressive firebrands dropped out, the other would take those suddenly unmoored voters and catapult past the centrist former vice president. — oregonlive.com, "Are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren really in a dead heat? It’s complicated," 27 Aug. 2019 Twitter’s white boy of the month is traditionally handsome and charismatic, their rising star catapulted into the zeitgeist by fans’ tweets, likes, and retweets. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "Twitter’s White Boy of the Month Meme Is a Match Made in Heaven Between Celebrity and Internet Culture," 26 Aug. 2019 As divers propel themselves off platforms, catapulting into the water and making a splash, the Conroe ISD Natatorium in Shenandoah is loud on a humid Friday morning in August. — Jane Stueckemann, Houston Chronicle, "Laura Wilkinson plans comeback for 2020 Tokyo Olympics," 20 Aug. 2019 Oatly was a breakout star, catapulted from obscurity, who’d maybe accidentally overextended itself. — Rachel Sugar, Vox, "Oatly and the quest for the perfect alt-milk," 14 Aug. 2019 Alabama’s new state magnet school focusing on cyber technology got its first leader Friday and its largest financial donation to date, catapulting the school toward a 2020 opening. — Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al.com, "Madison County superintendent to lead state cyber school," 28 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catapult.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.