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
Telluride has long been a launchpad for eventual Oscar juggernauts.
—
Clayton Davis, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025
Public colleges offering two-year degrees and skilled-trade certificates were—and still are—a launchpad to a stable middle-class life.
—Jim Farley, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
The first edition in Riyadh will be the launchpad for a rotating global host model, bringing national team esports to cities, fans and cultures worldwide.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Each winner walked away with $125,000 in seed funding, turning the conference stage into a launchpad for the next generation of innovators.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Clayton Davis, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025
Public colleges offering two-year degrees and skilled-trade certificates were—and still are—a launchpad to a stable middle-class life.
—Jim Farley, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
The first edition in Riyadh will be the launchpad for a rotating global host model, bringing national team esports to cities, fans and cultures worldwide.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Each winner walked away with $125,000 in seed funding, turning the conference stage into a launchpad for the next generation of innovators.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for launchpad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for launchpad
Noun
-
Soliman is known as an elegant dresser, but his apartment was in bachelor-pad disarray, a reflection of his long hours at the hospital and the abruptness of his detention, said his friends, also clerics.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger is a demon in thigh pads.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Then, in June, Lyles cast the tiebreaking vote deciding not to study ways to improve working conditions for airport employees.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Tribhuvan International Airport, the country's main international airport, was also shut down due to smoke in the area.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That was a rainy, cold, three in the morning night out at an airfield.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The Flying Tiger Heritage Park is on the site of an old airfield in Guilin where Chennault once had his command post in a cave.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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 16 Sep. 2025.
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