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launch

/lɔntʃ/
/lɔntʃ/
IPA guide

Other forms: launched; launching; launches

To launch something is to propel it or get it going, usually from a standing position. You can launch a rocket, a career, a product or even a watermelon. Either way, you're getting it off the ground.

Launch often means to start something, but to start it in a big way: "The launch of the shuttle was also the launch of a new era in space travel." Time was, when a singer finished making her record, the company would simply "release it." Eventually, though, that wasn't enough. Now a record needs "a launch" — a full-scale media blitz to get people excited enough to buy it.

Definitions of launch
  1. verb
    propel with force
    launch the space shuttle”
    Launch a ship”
    see moresee less
    types:
    float
    put into the water
    blast off
    launch with great force
    type of:
    impel, propel
    cause to move forward with force
  2. verb
    propel for the first time, on a maiden voyage
    launch a ship”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    set in motion
    get going; give impetus to
  3. verb
    get going; give impetus to
    launch a career”
    synonyms: set in motion
    see moresee less
    type of:
    displace, move
    cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
  4. verb
    set up or found
    synonyms: establish, found, set up
    see moresee less
    type of:
    open, open up
    start to operate or function or cause to start operating or functioning
  5. verb
    begin with vigor
    “He launched into a long diatribe”
    synonyms: plunge
    plunge
    dash violently or with great speed or impetuosity
    see moresee less
    type of:
    begin, commence, get, get down, set about, set out, start, start out
    take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
  6. noun
    the act of propelling with force
    synonyms: launching
    see moresee less
    types:
    rocket firing, rocket launching
    the launching of a rocket or missile under its own power
    blastoff, shot
    the launching of a missile or spacecraft to a specified destination
    moon shot
    the launching of a spacecraft to the moon
    type of:
    actuation, propulsion
    the act of propelling
  7. noun
    a motorboat with an open deck or a half deck
    see moresee less
    type of:
    motorboat, powerboat
    a boat propelled by an internal-combustion engine
  8. verb
    smoothen the surface of
    launch plaster”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    smooth, smoothen
    make smooth or smoother, as if by rubbing
Pronunciation
US
/lɔntʃ/
UK
/lɔntʃ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘launch'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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