launch

The word “launch” means to send something (a rocket, ship, or projectile) into motion, often forcefully. In plain terms, to start something moving or start something new — a product, a rocket, a ship, or a project.

“Launch” is pronounced lawnch (/lɔːnt͡ʃ/ in IPA).

Here is “launch” used in a sentence: “NASA launched the satellite into orbit early this morning.”

Depending on how it is used, “launch” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “launch” comes from Old French. From Old French lancier, "to throw a lance," from lance.

“Launch” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Launch” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to send something (a rocket, ship, or projectile) into motion, often forcefully.

Launch has two everyday senses. The first, physical, means to send something into motion, often forcefully — launching a rocket, a ship, or a projectile. The second, figurative, means to start or introduce something new, such as launching a product, a business, a campaign, or a website. Both share the idea of a powerful send-off.

In the context of products, launch is the act or event of introducing something to the world, usually with promotion and fanfare. Release means making it available for people to buy or use. A launch is the announcement and push; the release is the moment it actually reaches customers. The two often coincide.

To launch a ship is to set a newly built vessel into the water for the first time, sliding it from the yard where it was constructed. Traditionally the event is marked by a ceremony, sometimes breaking a bottle against the hull. It is the moment the ship first floats.

Literally: The agency launched the satellite into orbit. Figuratively: The company launched its new phone in the spring, or They launched a campaign to clean up the river. In each case something is set forcefully into motion, whether a physical object or a brand-new venture.