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.
-
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
“We settled, I think sort of obviously, on David Bowie as the launch pad for our Lestat,” Hart said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
After launching the spacecraft, the booster detached and began its descent, returning to the SpaceX launch pad where a pair of "chopsticks" reached out to catch the booster and bring it to a halt.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
A key commercial partner no longer has a functioning launch pad.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Standing tall and proud on the launch pad was the slender white rocket with a black cone and the words “United States” written in red paint down its side.
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.
