definitions

launch pad

or launch·pad

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR launch pad ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.
something that serves to launch or initiate: He used his legal experience as a launch pad for his career in politics.

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Nearby words

launce, launcelot, launceston, launch, launch control center, launch pad, launch shoe, launch vehicle, launch window, launcher, launder

Origin of launch pad

First recorded in 1955–60
Also called launching pad, pad.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for launch pad

launch pad

launching pad

noun

a platform from which a spacecraft, rocket, etc, is launched
an effective starting point for a career, enterprise, or campaign
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012