launcher

American  

[lawn-cher, lahn-] / ˈlɔn tʃər, ˈlɑn- /

noun

1. a person or thing that launches. launch.

2. a structural device designed to support and hold a missile in position for firing.

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ˈlauncher British  

/ ˈlɔːntʃə /

noun

1. any installation, vehicle, or other device for launching rockets, missiles, or other projectiles

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Etymology

Origin of launcher

First recorded in 1815–25; launch ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

"What a day, what a launch!" exclaimed Arianespace CEO David Cavailloles, who said the operation proved the launcher's ability to "carry out the most complex missions".

From Barron's

Army hatched a top secret plan to conceal hundreds of missile launchers on rail lines hidden beneath the thick ice sheets of Greenland.

From Los Angeles Times

Each Thaad, which stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, can hold 48 interceptors between six launchers.

From The Wall Street Journal

An estimate by the Hudson Institute said that Iran’s stockpile of mobile launchers, so-called transporter-erector-launchers, dropped from 480 before the war to 100 after.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inside a sprawling, brightly lit factory in central Ukraine, a pair of launchers held up two massive cruise missiles with an unusual nickname: “the Flamingo.”

From The Wall Street Journal