launch
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To cause to begin its flight upward from the ground.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lawnchIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlɔntʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To cause (a rocket, balloon, etc., or the payload thereof) to begin its flight upward from the ground.
transitive
To send out; to start (someone) on a mission or project; to give a start to (something); to put in operation
transitive
To release; to put onto the market for sale
transitive
To cause (a vessel) to move or slide from the land or a larger vessel into the water; to set afloat.
intransitive
Of a ship, rocket, balloon, etc.: to depart on a voyage; to take off.
transitive
To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force.
noun
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.
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.)
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To cause (a rocket, balloon, etc., or the payload thereof) to begin its flight upward from the ground.
Used this way, launch is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of moving a newly built vessel into the water for the first time.
Armament in the form of a device capable of launching a rocket.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A platform from which rockets or space craft are launched.
A platform from which rockets or space craft are launched.
A platform from which rockets or space craft are launched.
A place for launching pads.
Armament in the form of a device capable of launching a rocket.
The launching of a rocket or missile under its own power.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A platform from which rockets or space craft are launched.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.