slingshot

[ sling-shot ]

noun

1. a Y -shaped stick with an elastic strip between the prongs for shooting stones and other small missiles.

slingshot

/ ˈslɪŋˌʃɒt /

noun

1. 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 Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)catapult
2. another name for sling 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of slingshot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; sling ¹ + shot ¹

Example Sentences

The collapsed time frame has also allowed Harris to slingshot, as Schwarzenegger did, from one big campaign event to the next, with scarcely a lag in between.

From Los Angeles Times

In “Slingshot,” a space-travel thriller directed by Mikael Håfström, the title refers to a risky flight maneuver involving orbital mechanics.

From Los Angeles Times

Astronauts journeying a billion and a half miles to one of Saturn’s moons, Titan, will need a whip-around gravity assist — the “slingshot” in question — from Jupiter’s orbital velocity in order to make it all the way.

From Los Angeles Times

The film isn’t about the slingshot or the methane gas — or even climate change — but about the challenges of the journey itself.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite this central tension, “Slingshot” is an undeniably sleepy film, in which a groggy Affleck stumbles around a spaceship for most of the running time.

From Los Angeles Times

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