skyrocket
Americannoun
-
skyrockets
plural
-
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.
-
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.
-
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)
-
skyrockets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
skyrocketed,
past participle, past
-
skyrocketing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
skyrockets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
skyrocketed,
past participle, past
-
skyrocketing
present participle
-
to cause to rise or increase rapidly and usually suddenly.
Economic changes have skyrocketed prices.
-
to thrust with sudden dramatic advancement; catapult.
Talent has skyrocketed him to fame.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
skyrocketsimple
-
skyrocketssimple
-
have skyrocketedperfect
-
has skyrocketedperfect
-
am skyrocketingprogressive
-
are skyrocketingprogressive
-
is skyrocketingprogressive
-
have been skyrocketingperfect progressive
-
has been skyrocketingperfect progressive
Past
-
skyrocketedsimple
-
had skyrocketedperfect
-
was skyrocketingprogressive
-
were skyrocketingprogressive
-
had been skyrocketingperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Melting Away" and "Plant a Tree"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
Refineries are collecting on record-high margins for diesel and other fuels as global supplies shrink and prices skyrocket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
However, as their earnings skyrocket, many workers are demanding a bigger cut of profits.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
But David Fyfe, chief economist at Argus Media, said cutting off American supply would likely cause international prices to skyrocket.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
It started on a platform called Popshoplive to sell Hello Kitty and other items, but sales didn’t skyrocket until it switched to TikTok Shop in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 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
Samsung, which makes memory chips essential for AI data centres, has also seen its value and profits soar as global demand skyrockets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
In other words, homeowners are incentivized to not sell their home and give up their tax rate, which remains low even as their home value skyrockets.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
Podcast ads may be better heard than seen, a new study suggests, even as the popularity of video podcasting skyrockets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Directed by Jay Roach and written by Tony McNamara, Theo is an architect whose career collapses at the same time as his wife's career as an up-and-coming chef skyrockets.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
The same is true of Fourth of July equipment, flags and bunting and skyrockets.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
An openly gay artist, Guitarrica skyrocketed to fame when his mournful, late-night lament “El Conticinio” found viral success after he uploaded it to Soundcloud in 2018.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
As demand for optical and networking components has skyrocketed this year, shares of the companies that produce those components — like lasers, wiring and electronics — have staged major gains.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
In the fields, the cost of diesel needed to run combines as farmers start harvesting soybeans, corn and other crops this month has skyrocketed more than 67 percent since February.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The interest rate on call loans skyrocketed to 74%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
As her sales skyrocketed and stayed up, the Treasury Department began to notice this new Amazon.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Toxic smoke from peatland as well as forest fires has shrouded towns and cities in the region for more than a month, sending respiratory complaints skyrocketing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The paper's cartoon has also homed in on skyrocketing fuel costs, joking that staff at the pump "don't care what diesel cost when you started driving".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Some condominium HOAs have run into trouble recently, as MarketWatch has reported, in part due to skyrocketing insurance costs and dwindling financial reserves.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
And like many of their Midwestern Democratic colleagues, both are focused on skyrocketing utility rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
An effective test-prep class—one that drills students repeatedly on the kinds of questions they will encounter on a specific test—can, in a given year, send test scores skyrocketing.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
