launchpads

noun

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
  1. airports
  2. pads
  3. airfields
  4. aerodromes
Noun
  • Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, reported temporary flight restrictions at airports in Kaluga, Tambov, Gelendzhik and Sochi, as well as at three of Moscow's four international airports -- Vnukovo, Domedodovo and Zhukovsky.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The Big Island airports were expected to resume operations Sunday, depending on conditions after the storm.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of airports
Noun
  • Featuring two pads built for high-frequency flight campaigns, this addition brings Rocket Lab’s global network to six operational pads across two hemispheres, expanding beyond its active sites in New Zealand (LC-1) and Virginia (LC-2 and LC-3).
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
  • That means my greasy microfiber cloths do get washed with my cotton drying towels, along with oven mitts, linen napkins, and the seat pads for my counter stools (my kids somehow manage to trash them every week).
    — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of pads
Noun
  • The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile provides long-range strike capability against command centers, air defenses, communications sites, airfields, and logistics facilities.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026
  • These were quick to convert and quick to put to sea in sufficient numbers to protect convoys far from the defense of any airfields.
    — David Szondy July 21, New Atlas, 22 July 2026
Definition of airfields
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
Definition of aerodromes

Browse Nearby Words

launchpad
launchpads
launder
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Cite this Entry

“Launchpads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/launchpads. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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