launchpad

Definition of launchpadnext
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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Example Sentences

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 After all, seven out of the last 12 acting performances to have won Oscars are for films that premiered prior to the fall festival season, which was long seen as the optimal launchpad for awards contenders. Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 30 June 2026 More than any other event, Annecy remains the industry’s standard-bearer — a showcase for the biggest studio and streaming projects, a launchpad for independent voices from around the world and, perhaps most importantly, the premier scouting ground for the next generation of animation talent. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2026 The room is supposed to be a charming gathering nook where my family can hang out, not a control room outfitted with complex launchpads. Jill Kargman, Architectural Digest, 16 June 2026 But late last month, New Glenn exploded in a fireball during a test, badly damaging its sole launchpad in Florida. The Week Us, TheWeek, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for launchpad
Noun
  • The top-of-the-stack Nobu Villa—more than 10,000 square feet of rooftop garden, terrace, and showpiece entertaining space—is one of the city’s splashiest party pads, but the quiet win is how good the regular rooms feel for the rate.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2026
  • Signs paws have already been burned include limping, refusing to walk, licking or chewing feet, darker or damaged pads and visible blisters or redness.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
Noun
  • On Friday, a group of affected workers and advocates gathered at the Broward airport to call for an extension on the protections of over 350,000 Haitians and other TPS holders.
    Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
  • Prices vary, ranging from around 15 euros from Adamas to Plaka and about 30 euros from the airport to Pollonia.
    Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026
Noun
  • Analysts believe such flexibility could prove valuable in any future high-intensity conflict where conventional airfields are under constant threat.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
  • By 1944, the Flying Tigers had come under American control, but still flew out of airfields in China, including one in Yunnan, China, where McKinney was based.
    Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
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

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Cite this Entry

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

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