What does skyrocket mean?
Skyrocket is chiefly a verb meaning to increase or rise extremely rapidly, often with the suggestion that the change is sudden and dramatic. It is especially common when describing prices, sales, demand, popularity, or other quantities that climb sharply over a short period. For example, a product’s sales may skyrocket after it receives a favorable review, while demand can skyrocket when a shortage makes an item suddenly difficult to find. The word also has a literal, older sense of rising or launching into the sky, and it can be used as a noun for a rocket. Its vivid image makes it especially effective in journalism, business writing, and everyday conversation when rapid growth is striking or unexpected. The related forms “skyrocketed” and “skyrocketing” are used in the same figurative way.
To increase or rise very rapidly and sharply.
"Interest in the topic skyrocketed after the announcement."
The figurative sense is now by far the most common.
A rocket, especially one sent upward.
"The skyrocket climbed high into the dark sky."
This is a relatively uncommon literary or dated noun use.
Used when referring to more than one rocket in the literary or dated noun sense.
"Several skyrockets lit the night sky above the harbor."
Skyrocket began as a picture of a rocket climbing, then became shorthand for anything that shoots upward—especially prices.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of skyrocket
Skyrocket was formed in English by combining “sky” with “rocket,” originally evoking a rocket’s rapid ascent into the sky. Over time, the literal image developed into a figurative verb for sharp increases, particularly in prices, demand, and popularity. “Rocket” is borrowed from French, from a word ultimately associated with a rock or piece of stone, reflecting the older use of that word for a type of explosive projectile.
Related word forms
How skyrocket is actually used
The figurative sense is dominant in modern usage and is neutral in register, though it can suggest a sudden, dramatic increase rather than steady growth. The literal sense is literary or dated.
Easily confused with skyrocket
A rocket is a vehicle or object that flies; skyrocket is usually a verb describing a rapid increase or ascent, though it can also mean a rocket in a more literary sense.