What's the difference between catapult and launch?

Catapult


Definition:

  • (n.) An engine somewhat resembling a massive crossbow, used by the ancient Greeks and Romans for throwing stones, arrows, spears, etc.
  • (n.) A forked stick with elastic band for throwing small stones, etc.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In that time it has seen the Call of Duty brand catapulted from a modestly successful cinematic shooter to the biggest entertainment property in the world.
  • (2) They were among six young pro-democracy candidates who were catapulted into office in what was widely interpreted as a rejection of Beijing’s growing interference in the former British colony’s affairs.
  • (3) Alonso, after hitting the wall and being catapulted airborne, landed upside down in his McLaren before crawling out of his car.
  • (4) Critical verdict The Tin Drum catapulted Grass to the forefront of European fiction and since then he has been Germany's "permanent Nobel candidate"; of the remainder of the Danzig trilogy, Cat and Mouse is the best regarded.
  • (5) Dennis Stevenson Chairman, HBOS The merger of the Bank of Scotland with Halifax seven years ago catapulted the 63-year-old, who had been chairman of the former building society for only two years, into the chairman's role at one of the UK's largest retail banks.
  • (6) Tzomet, benefiting from a popular clean-government and anti-religious platform, catapulted from two to eight seats.
  • (7) A method of modelling head-on car collisions at the catapult MTS 858.05 was developed.
  • (8) Planes launched into the skies by catapults running on green energy, then cruising efficiently in self-organised flocks across oceans and continents.
  • (9) Lord Myners, who sat on the court until he was catapulted into government during the 2008 banking crisis, said: "It is essential before we transfer additional powers to the Bank of England that the Bank becomes more transparent by publishing the minutes of the court before and after the crisis and that henceforth all minutes are published".
  • (10) Manchester City had not won since Sergio Agüero’s last goal, away against Swansea City on 24 September, but seven games later the Argentina striker found the net twice in the first half to catapult Pep Guardiola’s team past an uninspiring West Bromwich Albion and back to the top of the table, where Arsenal had momentarily displaced them earlier in the afternoon.
  • (11) Tony Hayward , the former BP boss pilloried by US politicians over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill last year, launched his comeback with a £1bn stock market float that will catapult him back into the oil business.
  • (12) It was a world into which he was unexpectedly catapulted while he was still a student in Liverpool.
  • (13) Other Greeks with similar experiences said the far-rightists, catapulted into parliament on a ticket of tackling "immigrant scum" were simply doing the job of a defunct state that had left a growing number feeling overwhelmed by a "sense of powerlessness".
  • (14) The expanding database of designs includes various lampshades and toys, an Iron Man facemask and a model of the Da Vinci catapult.
  • (15) It inspired a sequel, made famous an obscure movie actor who impersonated Jolson and catapulted Jolson himself back to Broadway.
  • (16) More rail commuters will be catapulted into the £5,000-a-year season ticket bracket, after the fare rises for 2014 were revealed.
  • (17) Within months of that election he was appointed as Miliband’s parliamentary bag carrier (private secretary) after supporting him in the leadership contest, before finding himself catapulted a year later into one of the most senior posts in the shadow cabinet as business secretary.
  • (18) A former non-executive director with Shell, Lord Oxburgh was catapulted into the chairman's role after the company was forced to reveal it had overstated the extent of its reserves.
  • (19) The TV landscape has changed since more than 20 million viewers tuned in to discover the identity of JR Ewing's assailant, but with an average weekly audience of nearly 10 million, Broadchurch catapulted itself into ITV's top tier next to Coronation Street and Britain's Got Talent.
  • (20) Heat we know, and we talk about it no end,” said Nick Winser, a former head of Britain’s National Grid who chairs the Energy Systems Catapult , a new UK technology and innovation centre in the energy field.

Launch


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To throw, as a lance or dart; to hurl; to let fly.
  • (v. i.) To strike with, or as with, a lance; to pierce.
  • (v. i.) To cause to move or slide from the land into the water; to set afloat; as, to launch a ship.
  • (v. i.) To send out; to start (one) on a career; to set going; to give a start to (something); to put in operation; as, to launch a son in the world; to launch a business project or enterprise.
  • (v. i.) To move with force and swiftness like a sliding from the stocks into the water; to plunge; to make a beginning; as, to launch into the current of a stream; to launch into an argument or discussion; to launch into lavish expenditures; -- often with out.
  • (n.) The act of launching.
  • (n.) The movement of a vessel from land into the water; especially, the sliding on ways from the stocks on which it is built.
  • (n.) The boat of the largest size belonging to a ship of war; also, an open boat of any size driven by steam, naphtha, electricity, or the like.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) On Friday night, in a stadium built in an area once deemed an urban wasteland, the flame that has journeyed from Athens to every corner of these islands will light the fire that launches the London Olympics of 2012.
  • (2) A survey carried out two and three years after the launch of the official campaign also showed a reduction in the prevalence of rickets in children taking low dose supplements equivalent to about 2.5 micrograms (100 IU) vitamin D daily.
  • (3) Other recommendations for immediate action included a review of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council for doctors, with possible changes to their structures; the possible transfer of powers to launch criminal prosecutions for care scandals from the Health and Safety Executive to the Care Quality Council; and a new inspection regime, which would focus more closely on how clean, safe and caring hospitals were.
  • (4) Mindful of their own health ahead of their mission, astronauts at the Russia-leased launchpad in Kazakhstan remain in strict isolation in the days ahead of any launch to avoid exposure to infection.
  • (5) Brewdog backs down over Lone Wolf pub trademark dispute Read more The fast-growing Scottish brewer, which has burnished its underdog credentials with vocal criticism of how major brewers operate , recently launched a vodka brand called Lone Wolf.
  • (6) The company also confirmed on Thursday as it launched its sports pay-TV offering at its new broadcasting base in the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, that former BBC presenter Jake Humphrey will anchor its Premier League coverage.
  • (7) She successfully appealed against the council’s decision to refuse planning permission, but neighbours have launched a legal challenge to be heard at the high court in June.
  • (8) Responding to a “We the People” petition, launched after Snowden’s initial leaks were published in the Guardian two years ago, the Obama administration on Tuesday reiterated its belief that he should face criminal charges for his actions.
  • (9) The number of seats has been reduced from 72,000 to 68,000, with another 12,000 to be added after the Games to meet the 80,000 minimum required in case Japan launches a bid to host the football World Cup.
  • (10) It will form part of an investigation launched by the cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, on the orders of David Cameron to determine the British government's actions over the raid on Sikhism's holiest site in Amritsar.
  • (11) Read more After Monday’s launch at 7.30am (11.30pm GMT), the taikonauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, where they will spend about a month, testing systems and processes for space stays and refuelling, and doing scientific experiments.
  • (12) Following its success, Littleloud created a version of the game for Apple's iPad, launched onto the App Store at Christmas.
  • (13) Kiev said the jets were downed by a missile launched from Russian territory , and that the pilots had parachuted out.
  • (14) In spite of this fundamental disagreement, they were both relieved that President Obama has suspended his plan to launch missiles against Syria .
  • (15) In the Isa world, the past few weeks have seen a flurry of new launches , some offering table-topping rates .
  • (16) We believe Oisin has a very exciting future at the BBC.” Clarkson, May and Hammond have signed up to launch a rival show on Amazon’s TV service , while Chris Evans is currently filming a new series of the BBC’s Top Gear show with fellow presenters Matt LeBlanc and Eddie Jordan.
  • (17) Its Google Preferred initiative, launched in October 2014, packages up its most popular channels into more appealing media buys for big brands.
  • (18) The soldiers allegedly launched the attack after one of their comrades was killed when he became involved in an argument over a woman near Fizi hospital.
  • (19) He was given a standing ovation as he arrived on stage for the launch event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, San Francisco.
  • (20) As well as stocking second-hand items for purchase, charity shops such as Oxfam have launched Christmas gifts to provide specific help for poor communities abroad.