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Meaning & use

landing pad

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈlændɪŋ pæd/
US/ˈlændɪŋ pæd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A flat, prepared area where a helicopter, spacecraft or drone can come down safely.

    Grammar: Plural landing pads: the hospital has two landing pads.

    Patterns

    • a landing pad for something
    • land on a landing pad

    The hospital built a landing pad on its roof for rescue helicopters.

    The rover touched down on a marked landing pad.

    Workers cleared snow from the landing pad before dawn.

  2. nouncountableinformalfigurative

    A place, person or situation that gives temporary support while someone settles into a new stage of life.

    Grammar: Often used with an or my: my aunt's home was a landing pad.

    Patterns

    • a landing pad for someone
    • a soft landing pad

    After graduation, my parents' house was a landing pad while I looked for work.

    The startup offered a landing pad for new immigrants arriving in town.

    Her cousin's sofa became a landing pad for three weeks.

Word forms

plurallanding pads

Common combinations

helicopter landing pad
The ship has a helicopter landing pad at the back.
rooftop landing pad
A rooftop landing pad serves the clinic.
build a landing pad
Engineers will build a landing pad on the moon.
a soft landing pad
Friends gave him a soft landing pad after the move.
a landing pad for newcomers
The center is a landing pad for newcomers to the city.

Synonyms and how they differ

helipad
Helipad is specifically for helicopters, while landing pad can also be for spacecraft and drones.
runway
A runway is a long strip for planes to land and take off, while a landing pad is a small marked area.
safe haven
Safe haven stresses protection from danger, whereas the figurative landing pad stresses temporary support during a transition.
stopover
A stopover is a short pause in a journey, but a landing pad is a place to settle for a while.

Word family

land verb
to come down onto a surface
landing noun
the act of coming down after flight
launch pad noun
the platform from which rockets take off
helipad noun
a landing area for helicopters

Commonly confused: landing pad or launch pad?

landing pad vs launch pad

A launch pad is where rockets take off from, while a landing pad is where craft come down.

Practice

After losing her apartment, Mia stayed with her brother, who offered her a ______ until she found a new place.

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