catapult.
A device or weapon for throwing or launching large objects.
Meaning & usage
A device or weapon for throwing or launching large objects.
A mechanical aid on aircraft carriers designed to help airplanes take off from the flight deck.
A slingshot.
An instance of firing a missile from a catapult.
An instance of firing something, as if from a catapult.
Where this word comes from
From Middle French catapulte, from Latin catapulta, from Ancient Greek καταπέλτης (katapéltēs), from κατά (katá, “downwards, into, against”) + πάλλω (pállō, “to poise or sway a missile before it is thrown”). Doublet of catapulta.
To fire a missile from a catapult.
To fire or launch something, as if from a catapult.
To increase the status of something rapidly.
The candidate selection for running mate has catapulted her to the national scene.
To be fired from a catapult or as if from a catapult.
To have one's status increased rapidly.
She catapulted to the national scene following her selection by the candidate.
Where this word comes from
From Middle French catapulte, from Latin catapulta, from Ancient Greek καταπέλτης (katapéltēs), from κατά (katá, “downwards, into, against”) + πάλλω (pállō, “to poise or sway a missile before it is thrown”). Doublet of catapulta.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.