soft-launch

A form of soft launch — The launch of a missile in such a way that the rocket motor ignites outside of the launch tube, ejecting the missile non-explosively.

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Meanings

verbsoft-launch (third-person singular simple present soft-launches, present participle soft-launching, simple past and past participle soft-launched)

present singular third person soft-launches · participle present soft-launching · participle past soft-launched · past soft-launched · alternative soft launch

  1. alternativetransitivebusinessAlternative form of soft launch; to release (a product or service) to a limited audience.
  2. InternetalternativeinformaltransitiveAlternative form of soft launch; to announce (a romantic relationship) or reveal (one's romantic partner) in a subtle or ambiguous manner.

    Bad Bunny seemingly soft-launched his fling with Kendall Jenner on his Instagram Stories over the weekend, and I for one will go down with this ship.

    2023 August 28, Hanna Lustig, “Bad Bunny Soft-Launched Kendall Jenner Relationship With NSFW Photo Dump”, in Glamour
    1 more example

    You might soft-launch a new partner in an Instagram Story, or in the background in the fourth pic in a carousel, but a cute couple shot front and center on the main feed informs your most dedicated DMers that the club is closed to new members until further notice.

    2021 January 14, Alex Zaragoza, “Bow Down to Lori Harvey, the Queen of Dating”, in Vice

Origin

From soft launch.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

soft-launch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft-launch

MLA

“soft-launch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft-launch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soft-launch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft-launch.

Source: soft-launch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.