slingshot

noun

sling·​shot ˈsliŋ-ˌshät How to pronounce slingshot (audio)
1
: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones
2
a
: a maneuver in auto racing in which a drafting car accelerates past the car in front by taking advantage of reserve power
b
: a dragster in which the driver sits behind the rear wheels

Examples of slingshot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Residents tried unsuccessfully to deter them with slingshots, and starting in April 2024, authorities intervened with a sterilization program to bring the situation back under control. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025 To get there faster and using as little propellant as possible, Hera has flown to Mars for a gravitational slingshot. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2025 The house had four walls and was affordable on a cab driver’s salary, and well situated, too, on that busiest part of the Bragg Boulevard corridor that slingshots around Fayetteville from downtown to Spring Lake to Fort Bragg. Lizz Schumer, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025 There are also games located throughout the corn maze, such as ax throwing and slingshots. Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for slingshot

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slingshot was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Slingshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slingshot. Accessed 27 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

slingshot

noun
sling·​shot ˈsliŋ-ˌshät How to pronounce slingshot (audio)
: a forked stick with an elastic band attached for shooting small stones

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