skyrocket
Americannoun
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a rocket firework that ascends into the air and explodes at a height, usually in a brilliant array of sparks of one or more colors.
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Also called scarlet gilia. a plant, Ipomopsis aggregata, of the phlox family, native to western North America, having finely divided leaves and clusters of red, trumpet-shaped flowers.
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an organized group cheer, usually led by a cheerleader, as at a football or basketball game, which begins with a hissing or whistling and ends with a shout.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to cause to rise or increase rapidly and usually suddenly.
Economic changes have skyrocketed prices.
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to thrust with sudden dramatic advancement; catapult.
Talent has skyrocketed him to fame.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has skyrocketedperfect 3rd person singular
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have skyrocketedperfect
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have been skyrocketingperfect progressive
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am skyrocketingprogressive 1st person singular
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are skyrocketingprogressive
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is skyrocketingprogressive 3rd person singular
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skyrocketingparticiple
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has been skyrocketingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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skyrocketssingular 3rd person
Past
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had skyrocketedperfect
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had been skyrocketingperfect progressive
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was skyrocketingprogressive singular
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skyrocketedsimple
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were skyrocketingprogressive plural
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skyrocketedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of skyrocket
Explanation
When something skyrockets, it shoots up. Immediately after the Winter Olympics, interest in ice skating, bobsledding, and curling tends to skyrocket, or increase suddenly and dramatically. The verb skyrocket is good to use when something grows or shoots up as abruptly as a firework. Gas prices, food prices, debt, and winter cases of the flu are all said, from time to time, to skyrocket. A more literal meaning of skyrocket is the actual rocket that's designed to send a flare or firework high into the sky. A bottle rocket — a firework that is placed in an empty bottle before being lit and shooting into the air — is one example of a small skyrocket.
Vocabulary lists containing skyrocket
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 22–October 28, 2022
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"Melting Away" and "Plant a Tree"
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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.
And it’s not just diesel: Climate change, inflation and tariffs have all caused the base of Italian food — the humble tomato — to skyrocket nearly 40% over last year.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
While that means farmers can ask for more money when a contract is up for renewal, that can't usually occur mid-contract when energy or fuel prices skyrocket.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
This total includes unpaid caregiving, but if a person needs care in a nursing home, the costs quickly skyrocket to more than $100,000 a year.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Without question, the group has been rocked by earlier recession fears and the Middle East conflict, which caused energy prices to skyrocket.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
On the top step he let out a shriek that one witness likened to the scream of a skyrocket.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
