launched; launching; launches
1
a
: to throw forward : hurl
launched an arrow at a target
b
: to release, catapult, or send off (a self-propelled object)
launch a rocket
2
a
: to set (a boat or ship) afloat
b
: to give (a person) a start
launched her on a new career
d
: to load into a computer's memory and run
launch a program
1
a
: to spring forward : take off
The catapult snagged and the plane overturned before it could launch.
b
: to enter energetically
launched into an impromptu speech—
Tim Tucker
Tim Tucker2
a
archaic
: to slide down the ways
b
: to make a start
had launched on his hour of study—Hallam Tennyson
Hallam Tennyson1
: a large boat that operates from a ship
2
: a small motorboat that is open or that has the forepart of the hull covered
Synonyms
Examples of launch in a Sentence
Verb
The enemy launched an attack at sunrise.
She's trying to launch a new career as a singer.
The police have launched an investigation into his activities.
He helped launch her in her career as a singer.
The company is expected to launch several new products next year.
You can launch the program by double-clicking on the icon.
Recent Examples on the WebDon Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
Reliance Jio launched in India in 2016, providing free 4G data, voice calls, and SMS for six months, with a view to attracting 100 million subscribers.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
Voyager 2, launched two weeks before Voyager 1, is now about 13 billion miles from Earth, the two crafts’ trajectories having diverged somewhere around Saturn.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Beginning with the new 2024-25 FAFSA launched late last year, a student’s total income is only based on data from federal income tax returns.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The European Union launched an investigation into China’s procurement of medical devices, the latest in a spate of actions that are raising tension ahead of President Xi Jinping’s first visit to the bloc in five years.
—Alberto Nardelli, Fortune Asia, 24 Apr. 2024
Def Jam Africa launched across French-speaking markets on the continent in 2020.
—Marc Schneider, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes launched in 1977 on a mission to study Jupiter and Saturn but continued onward through the outer reaches of the solar system.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Sphere has also hosted concerts, with U2 inaugurating it with a 40-show residency that launched on Sept. 29, 2023.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024
Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
During her book launch at the Brooklyn Public Library in March, the writer gently cried while reciting a poem that conjured her late grandmother, citing the death toll in the besieged strip of land.
—Zahra Hankir, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Apr. 2024
The supermodel kicked off festival season with the launch of her new FWRD edit at The Parker hotel in Palm Springs on Thursday night — plus, gave PEOPLE an exclusive inside look at her Coachella outfit aesthetic after the event.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Discovery’s approach with HBO vis-a-vis Max: Following the launch of what had been HBO Max, the company killed off its standalone HBO Now and HBO Go apps and then rebranded the flagship service as just Max in 2023 with the addition of programming from WBD’s Discovery side of the house.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The change will apply to displays, batteries, and cameras at launch.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Today’s launch was Russia’s third attempt at flying this particular rocket.
—George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Their average launch angle of just 9.4 degrees is the fifth-worst in baseball.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024
Amazon says the remake of the 1989 action classic is its biggest global movie launch ever.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Two batters later, Burmeister launched an inside fastball over the left-field wall.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
Reliance Jio launched in India in 2016, providing free 4G data, voice calls, and SMS for six months, with a view to attracting 100 million subscribers.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
Voyager 2, launched two weeks before Voyager 1, is now about 13 billion miles from Earth, the two crafts’ trajectories having diverged somewhere around Saturn.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Beginning with the new 2024-25 FAFSA launched late last year, a student’s total income is only based on data from federal income tax returns.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The European Union launched an investigation into China’s procurement of medical devices, the latest in a spate of actions that are raising tension ahead of President Xi Jinping’s first visit to the bloc in five years.
—Alberto Nardelli, Fortune Asia, 24 Apr. 2024
Def Jam Africa launched across French-speaking markets on the continent in 2020.
—Marc Schneider, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes launched in 1977 on a mission to study Jupiter and Saturn but continued onward through the outer reaches of the solar system.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Sphere has also hosted concerts, with U2 inaugurating it with a 40-show residency that launched on Sept. 29, 2023.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024
Noun
Cultural changes: ‘Safety days,’ review boards and round tables
Columbia marked the second deadly mishap for the shuttle program after the space shuttle Challenger exploded during launch in January 1986.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
During her book launch at the Brooklyn Public Library in March, the writer gently cried while reciting a poem that conjured her late grandmother, citing the death toll in the besieged strip of land.
—Zahra Hankir, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Apr. 2024
The supermodel kicked off festival season with the launch of her new FWRD edit at The Parker hotel in Palm Springs on Thursday night — plus, gave PEOPLE an exclusive inside look at her Coachella outfit aesthetic after the event.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Discovery’s approach with HBO vis-a-vis Max: Following the launch of what had been HBO Max, the company killed off its standalone HBO Now and HBO Go apps and then rebranded the flagship service as just Max in 2023 with the addition of programming from WBD’s Discovery side of the house.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The change will apply to displays, batteries, and cameras at launch.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Today’s launch was Russia’s third attempt at flying this particular rocket.
—George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Their average launch angle of just 9.4 degrees is the fifth-worst in baseball.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024
Amazon says the remake of the 1989 action classic is its biggest global movie launch ever.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'launch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near launch
Cite this Entry
“Launch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/launch. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
launch
1 of 3 verb
ˈlȯnch 
ˈlänch
1
a
: to throw or spring forward : hurl
launch a spear
b
: to send off an object especially with force
launch a rocket
c
: to set a ship afloat
2
a
: to put in operation : begin
launch an attack
b
: to give a person a start
c
: to make a start especially energetically
launcher
noun
launch
2 of 3 noun
: an act of launching
launch
3 of 3 noun
: a small motorboat that is open or that has the front part of the hull covered
Etymology
Verb
Middle English launchen "to launch, hurl," from an early French dialect word launcher (same meaning), from Latin lanceare "to use a lance"
Noun
from Spanish or Portuguese lancha "a boat used to go to and from a large ship"
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