noun

slingshot

SLIHNG-shot

noun

A Y-shaped handheld device with an elastic band stretched between its arms, used to fire small stones or other projectiles.

"The kids made a slingshot out of a forked branch and an old bike inner tube."

"He used a slingshot to knock cans off the fence."

In pinball, a triangular bumper near the flippers that fires the ball back with extra force when it is struck.

"The ball bounced hard off the slingshot and shot straight back up the table."

verb

To hurl or launch something with a sudden burst of speed, as if fired from a slingshot.

"The rocket used the moon's gravity to slingshot itself toward Mars."

"A good start can slingshot a small business to national success."

How to Use Slingshot

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA simple stone-throwing device, or (figuratively) anything that launches something forward with a burst of force.

Common pairings

fire a slingshot slingshot maneuver slingshot effect

slingshotted past tense, slingshots plural, slingshots singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The kids made a _____ out of a forked branch and an old bike inner tube.

A straightforward combination of "sling" and "shot" — a device that slings a shot.