catapult
Americannoun
-
catapults
plural
-
an ancient military engine for hurling stones, arrows, etc.
-
a device for launching an airplane from the deck of a ship.
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British. a slingshot.
verb (used with object)
-
catapults,
present (3rd person singular)
-
catapulted,
past participle, past
-
catapulting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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catapults,
present (3rd person singular)
-
catapulted,
past participle, past
-
catapulting
present participle
-
to be catapulted.
-
to move or spring up suddenly, quickly, or forcibly, as if by means of a catapult.
The car catapulted down the highway. When he heard the alarm he catapulted out of bed.
noun
-
US and Canadian name: slingshot. a Y-shaped implement with a loop of elastic fastened to the ends of the two prongs, used mainly by children for shooting small stones, etc
-
a heavy war engine used formerly for hurling stones, etc
-
a device installed in warships to launch aircraft
verb
-
(tr) to shoot forth from or as if from a catapult
-
to move precipitately
she was catapulted to stardom overnight
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
catapultsimple
-
catapultssimple
-
have catapultedperfect
-
has catapultedperfect
-
am catapultingprogressive
-
are catapultingprogressive
-
is catapultingprogressive
-
have been catapultingperfect progressive
-
has been catapultingperfect progressive
Past
-
catapultedsimple
-
had catapultedperfect
-
was catapultingprogressive
-
were catapultingprogressive
-
had been catapultingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of catapult
1570–80; < Latin catapulta < Greek katapéltēs, equivalent to kata- cata- + péltēs hurler, akin to pállein to hurl
Explanation
A catapult is something that hurls things through the air, like a catapult that sends pumpkins flying in an annual Halloween competition. To pronounce catapult, accent the first syllable: "CAT a pult." Catapult can also be a verb that means "to hurl or shoot forward." It's not only objects that catapult. A hit single can catapult a band to great fame, for example, or a high score may catapult you into first place. Just don't catapult any cats. That would catapult you to notoriety, and probably also to jail.
Vocabulary lists containing catapult
Break It Down: Cata
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Latin Love, Vol II: cadere
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Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A cable and pulley assembly: pulls the shuttle back down the catapult for the next launch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Launch valve: releases steam into the catapult, forcing the shuttle forward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
A win could catapult USC into serious contention for the College Football Playoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Others, like “Obsession,” catapult from modest beginnings into an echelon of popularity that not even the academics and historians could’ve foreseen.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Queenie leaps backward as though launched from a catapult.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
“To be clear, the debate on whether we do this has ended,” he wrote in an Aug. 28 memo, referring to a broader set of recommendations including the steam catapults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
As of March, nearly 37,000 aircraft had been launched by Ford’s four electromagnetic catapults, according to Navy data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
"The ballista spider's snare is bioengineered to store elastic energy in the silk and rapidly release it, giving it incredible instantaneous power density -- greater than any other specialized silk-based biological catapults," said Professor Narendra.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
"It's high-risk and high-reward. If it succeeds, of course, it catapults Pakistan to the top of the global diplomatic game."
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
Behind their ditches, they were building catapults, scorpions, tall trebuchets.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
His late ’90s breakthrough in the triple-hitter lineup of “Halloween: H20,” “The Faculty” and “The Virgin Suicides” catapulted him to international fame practically overnight, cementing his place alongside the era’s Tiger Beat celebrity infatuations.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Diana’s death catapulted her from celebrity divorcee into an almost saintlike figure, whose passing triggered widespread public displays of grief in Britain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
California consumers’ acceptance of and excitement about thrifted, recycled and repurposed clothes catapulted L.A.’s Reformation from a vintage boutique into a billion-dollar company after its initial public offering last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Nvidia is the key corporation behind the generative AI frenzy that has catapulted it to become the world's most valuable publicly traded company.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Its legs collapsed beneath it, and Matt had to throw his arms around its neck to keep from being catapulted into the sludge.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
Meta Platforms is reportedly exploring a new avenue of artificial-intelligence monetization, raising questions about whether Meta is throwing in the towel on being a leading AI lab or, rather, catapulting its business ahead.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The paintings were a massive hit, catapulting Julian to a new echelon of fame, but isolating Christopher and ultimately driving him away, leaving the third and final series incomplete.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026
Many had said the fad would soon fade, casting doubt on the logic of Pop Mart’s share price catapulting above that of heavyweights like Alibaba.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Me, I’m hoping for a repeat of last year when a Brazilian actor won a prize, catapulting them to an Oscar nomination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
Yes, in Mr. Lemoncello’s catapulting critters game, there were all sorts of wacky jokes.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
