sky-rocket

The price of gasoline began to sky-rocket last summer.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A type of firework: A "sky-rocket" is a firework that ascends high into the air and explodes, often producing a colorful display.
   • Something that rises rapidly: Figuratively, it can refer to anything that increases or ascends very quickly, such as prices or popularity.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To rise or increase very quickly: "sky-rocket" means to soar or surge abruptly, especially in value, amount, or intensity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The children watched the sky-rocket burst into a shower of sparks. (A firework that shoots up and explodes.)
  • The stock price was a sky-rocket after the company's announcement. (A rapid increase in value.)

• Verb:

  • The cost of housing has sky-rocketed over the past decade. (Prices have risen very sharply.)
  • Her popularity sky-rocketed after the viral video. (Her fame increased suddenly and dramatically.)

Advanced Usage

• "to sky-rocket into the air": to ascend very quickly.

  • The rocket sky-rocketed into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke. (It shot upward with great speed.)

• "to see something sky-rocket": to witness a rapid increase.

  • Investors saw profits sky-rocket after the merger. (Profits rose steeply.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sky-rocketing (adj): rising very quickly.

  • The sky-rocketing inflation worried economists. (Inflation increasing at an extreme rate.)

• Sky-rocketed (v, past tense): rose suddenly.

  • Temperatures sky-rocketed during the heatwave. (Temperatures increased sharply.)

Synonyms

• Soar: to rise high in the air or increase rapidly.
• Surge: to increase suddenly and powerfully.
• Rocket: to move or increase very fast (often used interchangeably with "sky-rocket").
• Escalate: to increase in intensity or magnitude.

Phrasal Verbs

• (Note: "sky-rocket" itself is not commonly used as a phrasal verb, but it can be combined with prepositions in verb form.)
  • Sky-rocket up: to rise upward quickly.

    • The balloon sky-rocketed up into the clouds. (It ascended rapidly.)

Related Idioms

• Go through the roof: to increase suddenly and dramatically.
  • Prices have gone through the roof this year. (Similar to "sky-rocket" in meaning.)
• Like a rocket: moving or rising extremely fast.
  • The new product took off like a rocket. (It became successful very quickly.)