catapulting

verb

present participle of catapult
as in throwing
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm catapulted a pumpkin into the next yard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of catapulting That figure marked a roughly 16% increase over the past month, catapulting crude prices to their highest level since June 11. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 22 July 2026 Pinned beneath her rotting legs in his recliner chair, Loftis narrowly escapes by yanking its lever, catapulting the hag over his head. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026 After Klarna’s stock market trading debut last year, the company’s market cap soared to a whopping $17 billion thanks to surging shares, catapulting more than 40 current and former Klarna staffers into the millionaire club thanks to stock perks. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 July 2026 In his sixth and widely expected final World Cup, Argentinian Lionel Messi has scored six times already, including a hat trick in his opening game, catapulting the 39-year-old past Miroslav Klose’s 2014 record of 16 World Cup goals. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026 Cronin coached the Ducks for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, catapulting their total in the standings 21 points year-over-year, the biggest improvement in the Western Conference. — Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 17 June 2026 In trading on Tuesday , the stock was recently up another 13%, catapulting it past New Street’s price target. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 16 June 2026 Los Angeles Councilwoman Nithya Raman overtook reality TV star Spencer Pratt on Sunday evening for second place in the city’s open primary mayoral race, catapulting her to a position to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the November runoff. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2026 Most actors dread a bad review, but Hannah Waddingham credits the critics for catapulting her to the next phase of her career. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catapulting
  1. throwing
  2. hurling
  3. tossing
  4. flinging
  5. slinging
Verb
  • The Royals have no reason to give up on their hard-throwing right-hander this season.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • Arrabaca is accused of firing a BB gun down the street, pouring flammable liquid in front of the building's employee entrance, setting the liquid on fire and throwing fireworks onto the flames, federal prosecutors said.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of throwing
Verb
  • Zeus and Poseidon are at it again—one hurling thunderbolts, the other whipping the sea into a frenzy.
    — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • In that incident, teens dressed head-to-toe in black — some wearing hoods and masks — were seen throwing punches and hurling chairs as innocent bystanders sought safety.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of hurling
Verb
  • Others drape seal intestines over their fins or take turns tossing sea lion pelts into the air, Shields said.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Evans hit another amazing dive to the outside on Theory before tossing Breakker into the timekeepers area.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • That ocean storage is temporary; events like El Niño are the functional equivalent of flinging open the sauna door and letting the warmth cascade out.
    — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
  • The forward Agustin Canobbio was red-carded in the final seconds after grabbing referee Ismail Elfath’s arm and flinging it away.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of flinging
Verb
  • The Walsh family’s been slinging hot dogs across the Valley since 1946, with sisters Morgan and Kelly Walsh serving as third-generation stewards.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • However, in the four years since Show Me the Body’s last album, the banjo-slinging frontman’s perspective has changed dramatically.
    — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
Definition of slinging

Browse Nearby Words

catapulted
catapulting
catapults
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Catapulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catapulting. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on catapulting

Nglish: Translation of catapulting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All