launch

1 a rising from a surface at the start of a flight (as of a rocket) the reporters held their collective breath as they silently watched the space shuttle's launch Synonyms blastoff, liftoff, takeoffRelated Words ascentNear Antonyms crash; splashdownAntonyms landing

2 the point at which something begins we are at the launch of a new age of space exploration Synonyms alpha, baseline, birth, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, beginning, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, thresholdRelated Words drawing board, first base, ground zero, square one; creation, founding, inauguration, initiation, institution, origination; cradle, fountain, fountainhead, germ, origin, root, seedbed, source, spring, well, wellspring; dawning, opening; advent, appearance, arrival, debut (also début), emergence; childhood, infancy, youthNear Antonyms cessation, closing, closure, completion, finale, finish, period, stop, termination, windupAntonyms close, conclusion, end, ending, omega

1 to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of after retiring, he launched a small company devoted to making medical devices Synonyms begin, constitute, establish, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, institute, introduce, found, pioneer, plant, set up, startRelated Words author, father, originate; conceive, concoct, contrive, cook (up), create, devise, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, produce, think (up); construct, put up; develop, enlarge, expand; endow, finance, fund, subsidize; arrange, organize, systematize, systemize; refound, reinitiate, reinstitute, relaunchNear Antonyms abolish, annihilate, annul, nullify; end, finish, halt, stop, terminate; round (off or out), wind up, wrap upAntonyms close (down), phase out, shut (up)

2 to take the first step in (a process or course of action) she launched a career in journalism after quitting acting school Synonyms commence, embark (on or upon), enter (into or upon), fall (to), get off, kick off, begin, lead off, open, start, strike (into)Related Words create, generate, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, invent, originate; adopt, embrace, take on, take up; establish, father, found, institute, organize, pioneer, set up, spawn; get around (to), get down (to), get round (to)Near Antonyms cease, desist, discontinue, halt, knock off, lay off, quit, stop; close, complete; abandon, forsake, leave; abolish, demolish, destroy, exterminate, extinguish, phase outAntonyms conclude, end, finish, terminate

3 to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm infantrymen launching grenades at the nest of machine gunners Synonyms cast, catapult, chuck, dash, fire, fling, heave, hurl, hurtle, throw, lob, loft, peg, pelt, pitch, sling, tossRelated Words bowl, dart, flip, gun, hook, pass, roll, shoot; buck, eject, impel, precipitate, project, propel, rifle, thrust