springboard

[spring-bawrd, -bohrd]

noun

1. a flexible board, projecting over water, from which divers leap or spring.

2. a flexible board used as a takeoff in vaulting, tumbling, etc., to increase the height of leaps.

3. something that supplies the impetus or conditions for a beginning, change, or progress; a point of departure.

   a lecture to serve as a springboard for a series of seminars.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to impel or launch on or as if on a springboard.

springboard

/ ˈsprɪŋˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a flexible board, usually projecting low over the water, used for diving

2. a similar board used for gaining height or momentum in gymnastics

3. a board inserted into the trunk of a tree at some height above the ground on which a lumberjack stands to chop down the tree

4. anything that serves as a point of departure or initiation

Word History and Origins

Origin of springboard¹

First recorded in 1865–70; spring + board

Example Sentences

Ideally, these lists serve as a springboard for discussion if you’re thinking of relocating.

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The title can also be a springboard to become a local and international celebrity.

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It generated around half of the firm's revenue in the years immediately after the video's release and became a springboard for new content and merchandise, he said.

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"The current study results serve as a springboard for the development of therapies for both types of diabetes, and for designing markers that can measure how well the new treatment works in live animals."

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"That was the springboard for establishing other release sites in England and Scotland."

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