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, 3 Sep. 2025
But their audition catapults Nesi back in time three hundred years, to the Occupation of Oranoya by the fascist Zeminis.
—Natalie Zutter
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
That’s why his worth catapulted past Elon this week—only to return back to around $376 billion a day later.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
Designed for catapult launches and carrier deck operations, the stealth jet significantly expands the strike capability of China’s aircraft carriers, particularly the new Fujian.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
But their audition catapults Nesi back in time three hundred years, to the Occupation of Oranoya by the fascist Zeminis.
—Natalie Zutter
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
Bargatze’s nice-guy persona and family-friendly material has catapulted him to become last year’s top-selling standup comedian in America.
—Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
That’s why his worth catapulted past Elon this week—only to return back to around $376 billion a day later.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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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