catapult

American  

[kat-uh-puhlt, -poolt] / ˈkæt əˌpʌlt, -ˌpʊlt /

noun

1. an ancient military engine for hurling stones, arrows, etc.

2. a device for launching an airplane from the deck of a ship.

3. British. a slingshot.

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verb (used with object)

1. to hurl from a catapult.

2. to thrust or move quickly or suddenly.

   His brilliant performance in the play catapulted him to stardom.

   Synonyms:

   shoot, pitch, propel, fling, throw

3. British.

   1. to hurl (a missile) from a slingshot.

   2. to hit (an object) with a missile from a slingshot.

verb (used without object)

1. to be catapulted.

2. 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.

catapult British  

/ ˈkætəˌpʌlt /

noun

1. 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

2. a heavy war engine used formerly for hurling stones, etc

3. a device installed in warships to launch aircraft

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verb

1. (tr) to shoot forth from or as if from a catapult

2. to move precipitately

   she was catapulted to stardom overnight

Other Word Forms

• catapultic adjective

Etymology

Origin of catapult

1570–80; < Latin catapulta < Greek katapéltēs, equivalent to kata- cata- + péltēs hurler, akin to pállein to hurl

Example Sentences

TV's latest word-of-mouth hit Heated Rivalry arrives in the UK this weekend, after setting pulses racing across the Atlantic and catapulting its cast to stardom in recent weeks.

From BBC

The park, which closed in late December, contains games and rides that reference past MrBeast videos, such as a trapdoor tower and catapults.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s about how it might catapult you into the future.”

From MarketWatch

“This bubble looks an awful lot like the dot-com bubble,” he said on a podcast hosted by Lewis, whose book first catapulted Burry to fame.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their relationship catapulted his profile to a whole new level and Swifties followed the singer's race against time to get from Tokyo to Vegas to see her new lover win a third Super Bowl.

From BBC

Related Words

• slingshot