launch pad
launch pad — noun
1. the flat raised surface that a rocket or missile stands on before it rises into
the flat raised surface that a rocket or missile stands on before it rises into the air
The rocket stood on the launch pad while engineers checked the fuel lines.
stand on the launch pad: rocket waiting before take-off
Smoke poured across the launch pad as the engines roared to life.
From the viewing area, Sahil watched the launch pad through a pair of binoculars.
Two workers cleared every tool off the launch pad an hour before lift-off.
A sudden storm forced the team to roll the rocket away from the launch pad.
- launching pad
spelling variant; same meaning
- launch site
the whole location, not just the raised surface
用法筆記
Often paired with motion prepositions: a rocket sits on, lifts off, or is cleared away from the launch pad.
2. something that gives you a strong start for reaching a bigger goal or moving ahe
something that gives you a strong start for reaching a bigger goal or moving ahead
Her summer job at the gallery became the launch pad for a career in art.
launch pad for + goal: a strong start toward something bigger
The small town used its film festival as a launch pad for tourism.
Diego saw the coding course as a launch pad into the software industry.
For many singers, that talent show has been a launch pad to global fame.
The grant gave the young scientists a launch pad for their first big project.
- springboard
very close in meaning; stresses a sudden push forward
- stepping stone
stresses one stage in a longer path, not a single big start
文法句型
launch pad for + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this figurative use almost always takes 'for', 'into', or 'to' plus the goal or field being entered.