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
Investors won’t have a say in SpaceX’s strategic direction or Musk’s next launchpad move.
—
Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Studios Return in Force Major studios used Annecy 2025 as a soft launchpad for their upcoming slates.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 June 2025
Honda is some way from challenging SpaceX’s dominance of the sector, although it may be heartened by the fact that the US company’s latest test of its giant Starship rocket ended in an explosion on the launchpad.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 19 June 2025
There were no plans to catch the booster with giant chopsticks back at the launchpad, with the company instead pushing it to its limits.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Studios Return in Force Major studios used Annecy 2025 as a soft launchpad for their upcoming slates.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 June 2025
Honda is some way from challenging SpaceX’s dominance of the sector, although it may be heartened by the fact that the US company’s latest test of its giant Starship rocket ended in an explosion on the launchpad.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 19 June 2025
There were no plans to catch the booster with giant chopsticks back at the launchpad, with the company instead pushing it to its limits.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for launchpad
Noun
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The yellow accents throughout the design are a nod to the iconic Sennheiser HD 414 headphones with their yellow foam ear pads which were a revolutionary leap forward in sound and style when they were first launched in 1968.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Staffers had to literally teach Lohner how to put his pads on, at first, as Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham recalled.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Environmental concerns have long hampered plans to expand the airport, as efforts to preserve the marshlands, which are a crucial source of freshwater for South Florida, have routinely clashed with business interests.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
1 July 2025
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Such tactics have worked in the past: The Dade-Collier facility was envisioned as the largest airport in the world before protests and an environmental review convinced the government to stop work on the site in 1970.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
The Ukrainian military also struck in the early hours of Saturday, targeting an airfield in the Russian town of Borisoglebsk, where fighter jets are based, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.—
Natalya Kushnir,
ABC News,
5 July 2025
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The Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia's Voronezh Oblast was struck overnight, and imagery shared on social media showed the fiery aftermath of the attacks.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
Noun
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Ukraine begged former President Joe Biden and German leaders to no avail to provide long-range missiles that could hit distant Russian aerodromes and eliminate strategic bombers at the source.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
8 June 2025
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Ukraine begged former President Joe Biden and German leaders to no avail to provide long range missiles that could hit distant Russian aerodromes and eliminate strategic bombers at the source.—
Trudy Rubin,
Mercury News,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Launchpad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/launchpad. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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