How to Use catapult in a Sentence

catapult

1 of 2 noun
  • But the loss wasn’t so much a setback for the team as a catapult.
    Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, 29 July 2017
  • The weapon likely had a cup on one end to act as a lever, like a catapult.
    Peter Aitken, Fox News, 12 Sep. 2021
  • Maybe that below-the-line love catapults it in.
    Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
  • Maybe that below-the-line love catapults it.
    Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The robot is designed like a catapult to throw the ball to home plate.
    Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 June 2018
  • Its nose gear locks into what looks like a catapult shuttle.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Hit or miss, someone's got to bring it back to the catapult for the next lucky player.
    Time, 29 June 2017
  • This would serve as a catapult to ditch their day jobs and focus on their passion full-time.
    Jessica Shalvoy, Variety, 10 June 2022
  • Bring your own pumpkins and launch them with a special catapult — then watch the gourds go splat.
    Susan Soldavin, baltimoresun.com, 22 Oct. 2021
  • Challenger sliced through a clear blue sky, away from the launch pad on a catapult of orange flame.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Challenger sliced through a clear blue sky, away from the launch pad on a catapult of orange flame.
    Martin Merzer, miamiherald, 28 Jan. 2016
  • The females captured and ate the three that didn’t use the catapult technique.
    Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 26 Apr. 2022
  • Radcliffe flew out of the shadows as if propelled by catapult.
    Ben Brantley, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2022
  • To get aloft without a mini-airport, they’re launched via a small catapult that can placed on a roof.
    John Koetsier, Forbes, 28 June 2022
  • For more than a month the only air strikes against IS were launched from its four catapults.
    The Economist, 14 Nov. 2019
  • The ancient Greeks thought the brain functioned like a catapult.
    Benjamin Ehrlich, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2022
  • Lancets, launched from catapults, have a range of about 37 miles, Ihnat said.
    Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
  • When an aircraft is thrown off the deck by a steam catapult, the initial spike of pressure is at its greatest.
    Robert Ellinger, sandiegouniontribune.com, 26 June 2017
  • In simpler times, the best gifts for your brother were a homemade card and a catapult built from sticks outside.
    Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 July 2023
  • Popping meds, whether by catapult or tweezers, became the norm.
    Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 May 2026
  • After all, the droplet is moving more quickly than the catapult launching it.
    Justine Calma, The Verge, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Most notably, the drones include nose landing gear fitted with catapult launch bars.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
  • That launch method is low-energy compared to catapult-launch and limits how heavy a plane can be still safely take off.
    David Axe, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2021
  • Protesters replied with bricks and petrol bombs, some of which were fired from a catapult made out of bamboo scaffolding.
    Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2019
  • The robot's design The team's robot has a catapult-like design to throw the ball to home plate.
    Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 June 2019
  • The puppet both catapults Sam’s career and puts his well-being in peril.
    Emily Longeretta, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Most ordnance handlers understood that to mean it should not be plugged in until the plane was lined up on the catapult, ready to launch.
    Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 9 May 2023
  • His catapult into stardom took place in a closed-door meeting in Portland.
    Jason Quick, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
  • These are launched from a catapult, have a full autopilot system, and can fly for around 40 minutes.
    Stephanie Bailey, CNN, 27 May 2021
  • The Luisa figure can hold her donkey friend on her shoulders, and then use her strength to launch a barrel with a catapult.
    Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 12 Nov. 2022

catapult

2 of 2 verb
  • He catapulted to fame after his first book was published.
  • The novel catapulted him from unknown to best-selling author.
  • They catapulted rocks toward the castle.
  • The publicity catapulted her CD to the top of the charts.
  • Her career was catapulting ahead.
  • The whole band is now poised not just to move, but to catapult forward.
    Dana Kozlov, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The stylus rotates along a hinge, then catapults the pee away from the bug at a high speed.
    Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
  • There are other ways to attempt to catapult.
    Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 22 Jan. 2026
  • This year’s debates have done little to catapult anyone to the top, and tonight was more of the same.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
  • Freese might catapult onto the global stage this summer, too.
    Tim Rohan, NBC news, 2 June 2026
  • But the chip crunch is finally easing, and that is catapulting sales to new heights.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 9 May 2023
  • The congested race means that any hot streak could catapult a team back into the mix or even near the top of the standings.
    oregonlive, 6 Dec. 2022
  • For Apfel, these were the decades when her life catapulted to celebrity status.
    Sheila Callaham, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
  • The quartet once starred in a Nickelodeon show of the same name that catapulted them to stardom.
    Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The Aries solar eclipse catapults you toward your greatest work.
    USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023
  • Sights, sounds, and scenes come rushing back like a strong narcotic to catapult you into the stardust of your life.
    Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Nov. 2022
  • His momentum catapulted him to the hardwood floor face first.
    Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 5 June 2023
  • That recipe has fueled a whirlwind year for Karol, catapulting her to a new level of fame over the past few months.
    Isabelia Herrera, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Instead, she was catapulted into the air, swinging and spinning high above the crowd.
    Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2023
  • And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026
  • And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day.
    Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
  • That incident is going to catapult us into their story for the rest of the season.
    Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2023
  • The success of the play has catapulted him into a different life.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
  • Some might say those head-down, solitary spells catapulted Hobert into a genuine flow state.
    Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Fans catapulted themselves through the air, crawling onto the stage.
    Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The Grammy catapulted her into a new stratum as an artist.
    Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Your heart rate will go down, you’ll be flooded with endorphins and your ability to manage stress will catapult.
    Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2022
  • The campers and counselor were catapulted into the water.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The project would catapult her to superstardom and make her one of the few female rap artists to win a Grammy.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Years later, the group helped catapult Ricky Martin to global fame.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catapult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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