slingshot

[sling-shot]

noun

1. a Y -shaped stick with an elastic strip between the prongs for shooting stones and other small missiles.

slingshot

/ ˈslɪŋˌʃɒt /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): catapult. 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. another name for sling 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of slingshot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; sling ¹ + shot ¹

Example Sentences

Fernando, Osmin and their two younger brothers spent their free time shooting slingshots and riding ATVs around acres of dirt roads and fields that belonged to the company where their parents worked.

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Two years ago, a girl won at the toy fair for a game in which cats with slingshots fire hairballs that knock down household objects.

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Use of the words "catapult" and "slingshot" in crime logs do not conclusively show catapults were used – as the words may have been used in a different context.

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So although he was just one David against an army of Goliaths, he was not new to the practice of reloading a slingshot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After the spacecraft slingshots past the Moon, the astronauts begin their four-day journey home, drawn back with the help of the Earth's gravity.

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