slingshot
noun
sling·shot
ˈsliŋ-ˌshät 
1
: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones
2
a
: a maneuver in auto racing in which a drafting car accelerates past the car in front by taking advantage of reserve power
b
: a dragster in which the driver sits behind the rear wheels
Examples of slingshot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The gravity assist maneuver will act not unlike a slingshot, propelling the spacecraft on a trajectory to arrive at the metallic main-belt asteroid Psyche in 2029, NASA explained.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 May 2026
The crew — including NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — has been back on Earth for one week after a history-making, slingshot trip around the moon.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
The mission so far Artemis II is more than halfway through its slingshot mission around the moon and back.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 6 Apr. 2026
The 30-minute firing of the Orion service module engine will place the spacecraft on a free-return trajectory — a course that loops around the far side of the moon and slingshots back toward Earth.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026
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Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 May 2026
The crew — including NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — has been back on Earth for one week after a history-making, slingshot trip around the moon.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
The mission so far Artemis II is more than halfway through its slingshot mission around the moon and back.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 6 Apr. 2026
The 30-minute firing of the Orion service module engine will place the spacecraft on a free-return trajectory — a course that loops around the far side of the moon and slingshots back toward Earth.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slingshot
Cite this Entry
“Slingshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slingshot. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slingshot
noun
sling·shot
ˈsliŋ-ˌshät
: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones
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