slingshot
Americannoun
noun
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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
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another name for sling 1
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of slingshot
Explanation
A slingshot is a small toy or weapon that you can use for "shooting" stones. You might take aim at some old metal cans on a wall, knocking them off one by one with your slingshot. A slingshot works like a small catapult, with rubber strips holding a pocket where the stone or other projectile sits. When you pull the pocket back and release it, the stone is projected forward. Slingshots are simple in design, but they're relatively modern inventions that rely on rubber, which was invented in 1839. The earliest use of slingshots was mainly by young troublemakers. The ammunition in a slingshot is sometimes referred to as a sling-stone.
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:
He nudged his wheel right to slingshot his car around Malukas and nose ahead at some 230 mph.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
A teenager draws his slingshot, while fighters holding prayer beads take control of a Soviet tank, and peasants clutching pitchforks face Soviet soldiers.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
Catapult crimes are not included in official statistics, so BBC Verify sent Freedom of Information requests to police forces in England and Wales, asking for crime records which mentioned the words "catapult" or "slingshot".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
So although he was just one David against an army of Goliaths, he was not new to the practice of reloading a slingshot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2025
Swallow it, maybe, or use Lee Strunk’s slingshot, or just drop it along the trail.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
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.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025
Paintball guns and slingshots are legally considered weapons and are not allowed in national parks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
And then the book slingshots into the future.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2021
All three children rapidly fired their slingshots into the void.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
