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, 19 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
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2025
While Ellison’s net worth plummeted, Musk enjoyed being catapulted back to the top of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a $35 billion gain between September 10 and 12.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
The system is catapult-launched, easy to assemble, and requires minimal logistical support.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 19 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
Kirk’s death stunned the political world and catapulted a new conversation about political violence back into the mainstream.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2025
While Ellison’s net worth plummeted, Musk enjoyed being catapulted back to the top of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a $35 billion gain between September 10 and 12.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 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 22 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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