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 of skyrocket

Relevance

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
Ashton's Instagram following skyrocketed from tens of thousands to over 110,000 in just two months, thanks to a single video that garnered millions of views. — Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Vozinha shot to global fame overnight, with his social media following skyrocketing from around 50,000 before the match to over 13 million today. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 The number of Americans who report having six or more close friends has plunged by 50% this century, and the number of people reporting no close friends has skyrocketed by 400% over that same time period. — Ken Stern, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, Talarico is barnstorming the state, slamming Republicans mostly on kitchen table issues like stubborn inflation and the price of gas that has skyrocketed due to Trump’s war with Iran. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 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

sky-rider
skyrocket
skyrockety
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skyrocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skyrocket. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

skyrocket

2 of 2 verb
1
: to shoot up suddenly
costs have skyrocketed
2
: to cause to rise or increase rapidly
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

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

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All