launchpads

plural of launchpad
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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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 launchpads With history, culture, and great places to eat, these quaint spots are ideal launchpads for exploring the natural beauty of the Golden State. Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 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 At that point, SpaceX had two launchpads, allowing the company to return to flight in January 2017. Wendy Whitman Cobb, The Conversation, 29 May 2026 Gates 5 and 10 are the only launchpads for more than 10 percent of Kentucky Derby winners. Peter Keating, New York Times, 1 May 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 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
  • Thunderstorms caused flight delays at New York City area airports on Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • The lineup includes comfortable sneakers, supportive sandals, polished flats, and ballet flat sneakers—the trend that’s popping up everywhere from airports to celebrity street style.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2026
Noun
  • The semicircular blobs are from the carnivoran’s metacarpal pads; five digits extend out, short like a dog’s paws but spread wide like human fingers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • Those launch pads are optimized for equatorial orbits, so SpaceX may need launch sites for missions to Sun-synchronous orbits.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • The company says the aircraft can take off and land in 150 feet or less, allowing service from small airfields and other compact operating locations.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
  • Since 2014, the Russian military has opened several military bases in the Arctic and worked on reconstructing airfields.
    Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 8 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

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Cite this Entry

“Launchpads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/launchpads. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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