Thesaurus results for LAUNCHPAD

launchpad

noun

Definition of launchpad

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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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.

Recent Examples of launchpad In its first test flight of Starship in April 2023 in Texas, energy from the rocket caused SpaceX’s concrete launchpad to explode and its spacecraft to blow up in midair. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Plus, the first Days movie was her unique launchpad into stardom in America. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Aug. 2026 As American record companies had long understood, these made London an ideal launchpad for pop-culture trends. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026 Looks like an entire orbital launchpad could be hitched to a semi-truck and driven anywhere on Earth, thanks to space launch provider Rocket Lab. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for launchpad

Recent Examples of Synonyms for launchpad

Noun

Robot hands range from fully articulated five-finger designs to simple pincer grippers, and tactile sensors can rely on fundamentally different physics, from measuring changes in resistance to recording images of a soft gel pad deforming.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2026
Tariffs on cement, road salt and hospital pads were removed and replaced with duties on all-terrain vehicles, some cheeses and motorboats.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of pad

Noun

Palace matched Sunderland’s agreement with the French side and, at one stage, both clubs had a plane waiting at Lyon’s airport to bring Fofana to England.

— David Ornstein, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Saudi Arabia has promised to build desalination plants and two airports, and invest in telecommunications projects worth more than $1 billion.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of airport

Noun

The former often requires irregular cargo like radar systems, missile launchers, helicopters, engineering gear, bridge-laying equipment, etc, delivered to areas with no existing aerodromes.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen / AFP via Getty Images The aircraft, registered in Germany, crashed in a grassy area near the runway of the Nancy-Essey aerodrome, close to a residential area and two roads, an AFP journalist reported.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 June 2026

Definition of aerodrome

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launching

launchpad

launchpads

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“Launchpad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/launchpad. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of launchpad

noun

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