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
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 28 July 2025
The airframe structure has to be built to withstand the incredible acceleration of the catapult launch and the deceleration of the trap.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2025
The league’s streaming and social media-first approach, in combination with its rich talent pool, has catapulted it to the top of the charts, especially with younger audiences.
—Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
Our posts and comments about the campaign catapult American Eagle into the spotlight regardless of the company's intent, said Giana M. Eckhardt, a professor of marketing at King's College London.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 28 July 2025
The airframe structure has to be built to withstand the incredible acceleration of the catapult launch and the deceleration of the trap.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Verb
His record-breaking 25-hour speech on the Senate floor from Booker in April also catapulted him into 2028 conversations.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2025
The league’s streaming and social media-first approach, in combination with its rich talent pool, has catapulted it to the top of the charts, especially with younger audiences.
—Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 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 5 Aug. 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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