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
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Built for agility and speed, the STING can be deployed in less than 15 minutes and launched from virtually any surface without the need for a catapult.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
Once Were Warriors won numerous awards including the New Zealand Film Award for Best Director and catapulted Tamahori into the mainstream.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
The Chinese leader then toured the vessel, including inspecting the mess hall and giving a trial press of the ship’s catapult button, according to CCTV.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Built for agility and speed, the STING can be deployed in less than 15 minutes and launched from virtually any surface without the need for a catapult.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
In an industry where one jaw-dropping look can help catapult you into fashion royalty and the wrong one into meme infamy, stepping out is a high-stakes business.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
Once Were Warriors won numerous awards including the New Zealand Film Award for Best Director and catapulted Tamahori into the mainstream.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 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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