English Explanatory Dictionary

launch

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force.
To pierce with, or as with, a lance.
To cause (a vessel) to move or slide from the land or a larger vessel into the water; to set afloat.
To cause (a rocket, balloon, etc., or the payload thereof) to begin its flight upward from the ground.
To send out; to start (someone) on a mission or project; to give a start to (something); to put in operation
To start (a program or feature); to execute or bring into operation.
To release; to put onto the market for sale
Of a ship, rocket, balloon, etc.: to depart on a voyage; to take off.
To move with force and swiftness like a sliding from the stocks into the water; to plunge; to begin.
To start to operate.

noun

The movement of a vessel from land into the water; especially, the sliding on ways from the stocks on which it is built. (Compare: to splash a ship.)
The act or fact of launching (a ship/vessel, a project, a new book, etc.).
An event held to celebrate the launch of a ship/vessel, project, a new book, etc.; a launch party.

noun

The boat of the largest size and/or of most importance belonging to a ship of war, and often called the "captain's boat" or "captain's launch".
A boat used to convey guests to and from a yacht.
An open boat of any size powered by steam, petrol, electricity, etc.

Pronunciation

lônch /lɔːnt͡ʃ/ länch /lɑːnt͡ʃ/ /lɔnt͡ʃ/ [lɒnt͡ʃ] /lɑnt͡ʃ/ en-us-launch.ogg

Word forms

launch launches launching launched launcht lanch

Etymology

From Middle English launchen (“to throw as a lance”), Old French lanchier, another form (Old Northern French/Norman variant, compare Jèrriais lanchi) of lancier, French lancer, from lance.

Synonyms

fling hurl bung cast chuck chunk cook dash dump feck jerk heave hield hoy huck hurtle launch lob peck peg pick pitch precipitate project quoit shy slight skew sling thrill throw toss traject warp whang whip whop wing lance pierce

Related words

launching ways barge boat ship’s boat yacht

Derived words

air-launch autolaunch failure to launch hard-launch launchable launchee launcher launch forth launchful launch into launch lunch launch one's lunch launchway mislaunch outlaunch overlaunch postlaunch prelaunch relaunch soft-launch unlaunch unlaunched book launch launch angle launch complex launch game launching launch loop launch lug launch pad launch time launch vehicle launch window paper launch pre-launch captain's launch

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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