as in pad
an area from which a rocket is launched
—often used figuratively
The TV cameras were focused on the launchpad as the time for liftoff approached. The program she hosted on local radio was the launchpad for her network career.
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Recent Examples of launchpad
The Orion spacecraft was rolled to its launchpad atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on January 17.
—
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Star Search originally ran from 1983 to 1995, and was a launchpad for soon-to-be-superstars like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Dave Chappelle, Rosie O'Donnell, Adam Sandler and many more.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
College graduates earn significantly higher lifetime incomes, have access to better healthcare, and are far more likely to achieve upward social mobility — because their degrees serve as proxies for experience and are favored by employers, these credentials are career launchpads.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Star Search originally ran from 1983 to 1995, and was a launchpad for soon-to-be-superstars like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Dave Chappelle, Rosie O'Donnell, Adam Sandler and many more.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
College graduates earn significantly higher lifetime incomes, have access to better healthcare, and are far more likely to achieve upward social mobility — because their degrees serve as proxies for experience and are favored by employers, these credentials are career launchpads.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for launchpad
Noun
-
Scrub the grates with a scouring pad or soft scrubbing brush.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
-
These toner pads are soaked in a clarifying blend that gently exfoliates dead skin cells, clears excess sebum, and helps keep pores from appearing clogged.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.—
USA Today staff,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Smoke in the passenger cabin of a JetBlue plane that made an emergency landing Wednesday night at Newark Liberty International Airport led to passengers evacuating onto the tarmac and temporarily shut down the airport.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The two bases have long served as crucial overseas US military staging posts for operations far from home, with Diego Garcia a key airfield for the US’ heavy bomber fleet.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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The port has invested nearly $42 million — a combination of port money and grants from the Texas Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration — for airfield and airport upgrades, including the vertiport site about a block from the campus’ headquarters.—
Brandon Lingle,
San Antonio Express-News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The base, which sat on a hill east of the city, in the Franconia region of northern Bavaria, was a former Luftwaffe aerodrome, and had been occupied by American forces in 1945 and renamed in 1947 to honor Captain John A. Leighton, a U.S. Army Air Forces officer killed in World War II.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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All eight films were shot at Leavesden, a converted World War II-era aerodrome, which is now the production home base for the upcoming series.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Launchpad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/launchpad. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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