launch pad
Americannoun
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the platform on which a missile or launch vehicle undergoes final prelaunch checkout and countdown and from which it is launched from the surface of the earth.
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something that serves to launch or initiate.
He used his legal experience as a launch pad for his career in politics.
noun
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a platform from which a spacecraft, rocket, etc, is launched
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an effective starting point for a career, enterprise, or campaign
Etymology
Origin of launch pad
First recorded in 1955–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s said that parts of the launch site are “in good shape” and that Blue Origin won’t rebuild the same launch pad.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
The rocket-propelled launch vehicle will not take off from a launch pad.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
It's 07:25 am, 13 October 2024, at Starbase, near Boca Chica on the Texas side of the US/Mexico border, and on the launch pad stands the biggest rocket ever made.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
After launch, engineers carried out a thorough review of the launch pad and mobile launcher systems.
From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026
Then the guys on the ground crew on the launch pad saw a flash fire break through the craft’s shell, which was quickly swallowed in smoke.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
