skyrocket

1 of 2

noun

sky·​rock·​et ˈskī-ˌrä-kət How to pronounce skyrocket (audio)
Synonyms of skyrocketnext
: rocket entry 2 sense 1a

skyrocket

2 of 2

verb

skyrocketed; skyrocketing; skyrockets

transitive verb

1
: to cause to rise or increase abruptly and rapidly
2
: catapult

intransitive verb

: to shoot up abruptly
prices are skyrocketing

Synonyms

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of skyrocket in a Sentence

Verb His popularity skyrocketed after his latest movie. the crisis has caused oil prices to skyrocket
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.
Verb
Since the 1950s, the number of school personnel per student has skyrocketed by a staggering 381%. — Lindsey M. Burke, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2025 According to a new study from the TV ad tracker EDO, investment in women’s sports skyrocketed in 2024, as a record upswing in college and pro basketball deliveries sent marketers scrambling to engage with these rapidly growing audiences. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Mar. 2025 By the end of the weekend, that number had skyrocketed to 650,000, and once the full track dropped, its original video soared from 200,000 views to a staggering 3 million. — Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 14 Mar. 2025 The government had not stockpiled medicine or warned medical professionals before doing so, and hospitals were overwhelmed as infections skyrocketed. — Vivian Wang, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for skyrocket

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1673, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1886, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of skyrocket was in 1673

Rhymes for skyrocket

See All Rhymes for skyrocket

Browse Nearby Words

skyrocket
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skyrocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skyrocket. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

skyrocket

2 of 2 verb
1
: to shoot up suddenly
costs have skyrocketed
2
: to cause to rise or increase rapidly

More from Merriam-Webster on skyrocket

Nglish: Translation of skyrocket for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All