skyrocket

[ skahy-rok-it ]

noun

1. a rocket firework that ascends into the air and explodes at a height, usually in a brilliant array of sparks of one or more colors.
2. Also called scarlet gilia. a plant, Ipomopsis aggregata, of the phlox family, native to western North America, having finely divided leaves and clusters of red, trumpet-shaped flowers.
3. an organized group cheer, usually led by a cheerleader, as at a football or basketball game, which begins with a hissing or whistling and ends with a shout.

verb (used without object)

1. to rise or increase rapidly or suddenly, especially to unexpected or unprecedented levels:

   Prices skyrocketed during the war.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to rise or increase rapidly and usually suddenly:

   Economic changes have skyrocketed prices.

2. to thrust with sudden dramatic advancement; catapult:

   Talent has skyrocketed him to fame.

skyrocket

/ ˈskaɪˌrɒkɪt /

noun

1. See rocket
   another word for rocket 1

verb

1. informal.
   intr to rise rapidly, as in price

Word History and Origins

Origin of skyrocket¹

First recorded in 1680–90; sky + rocket ¹

Example Sentences

We said, if we basically pay you enough to do it at the same time consistently over and over again for a month, we’re going to see this skyrocket in terms of habit formation.

From Freakonomics

When a company that most people have written off more or less for dead suddenly sees its stock price skyrocket by nearly 180% for no apparent reason, it’s the kind of thing that catches one’s attention.

From Time

Without a dedicated and proactive rescue force, campaigners fear, the death toll in the Mediterranean will skyrocket.

From The Daily Beast

They endure further torment as rates of rape, domestic violence and early marriage skyrocket in times of crisis.

From The Daily Beast

With an increase in opioid prescriptions starting in the early 2000s, overdoses in the U.S. began to skyrocket.

From The Daily Beast

When he mentions a product on his show, its sales skyrocket.

From The Daily Beast

And we are all paying the costs as obesity-related health-care expenses skyrocket.

From The Daily Beast

But in none of his stories did Alger ever portray a tougher background or give it a bigger skyrocket finish.

From Project Gutenberg

This abortive attempt to make a skyrocket out of Lindsley's cabin wrought only good to Emilia at first.

From Project Gutenberg

A skyrocket moves in the same kind of a path, and so does a stone, a bullet, or any other object hurled through the air.

From Project Gutenberg

It had for some mysterious reason glibly identified as reaction burst into fragments and vanished in a skyrocket chaos.

From Project Gutenberg

The German submarine seemed to soar in the air like a skyrocket, and came down in a thousand pieces.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• catapult
• escalate
• rise
• rocket
• shoot up
• zoom