as in airports
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 launchpads
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
The majority of the biggest rounds across the sector have been for startups based in those two countries, with both emerging as key launchpads into new markets and battlefield training.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
Once reliable job launchpads in gateway fields such as finance, consulting, and journalism now routinely demand two or more years of prior experience.
—Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Or the way Karl Lagerfeld turned Grand Palais into supermarkets, icebergs, and rocket launchpads.
—Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 17 Aug. 2025
CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
The majority of the biggest rounds across the sector have been for startups based in those two countries, with both emerging as key launchpads into new markets and battlefield training.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
Once reliable job launchpads in gateway fields such as finance, consulting, and journalism now routinely demand two or more years of prior experience.
—Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Or the way Karl Lagerfeld turned Grand Palais into supermarkets, icebergs, and rocket launchpads.
—Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for launchpads
Noun
-
Senators are under intense pressure to resolve the impasse as chaos at airports continues.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Now many of those same immigration agents are in more than a dozen airports across the country, milling around and maskless.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The first week of spring practice has come and gone for coach Tim Albin and the Charlotte 49ers, who put on pads for the first time Saturday morning.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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Sleeping bags were permitted, but not pillows or pads.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Also, at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne -- trained to land in hostile territory to secure key territory and airfields -- have been ordered to the region.—
JON GAMBRELL AND DAVID RISING THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Also, at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne — trained to land in hostile territory to secure key territory and airfields — have been ordered to the region.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Launchpads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/launchpads. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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