hard launch

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebusiness

   The full public release of a product or service all at once, without a smaller trial period first.

   Grammar: Often contrasted with a soft launch, which is a quiet or limited release.

   Patterns

   • a hard launch of something

   The company skipped testing and went straight to a hard launch of its new app.

   A hard launch needs a large marketing budget.

   After the soft launch went well, the team planned a hard launch for spring.

2. 2nouncountableslanginformal

   An open, clear announcement of something personal, especially a romantic relationship, on social media.

   Grammar: Slang; the opposite is a soft launch, a hint without a direct reveal.

   Patterns

   • do a hard launch

   She did a hard launch of her new relationship with a photo of the two of them.

   Their hard launch on Friday surprised all their followers.

   His soft launch was a shadow in a picture, but this was a proper hard launch.

Word forms

Common combinations

do a hard launch

They decided to do a hard launch with a big event.

a hard launch on social media

It was a hard launch on social media for the new couple.

go for a hard launch

The brand went for a hard launch in all stores.

follow a soft launch

The hard launch will follow a soft launch in two cities.

plan a hard launch

The studio planned a hard launch for the game.

Synonyms and how they differ

full launch

This is a plain business term for a complete release, while hard launch is more informal and often contrasts with soft launch.

public release

This simply says that something becomes available to everyone, whereas hard launch implies there was no earlier trial.

big reveal

This is an informal phrase for dramatically revealing something, close to the social media sense of hard launch.

debut

This means the first appearance of something, and does not say whether it was tested beforehand.

Opposites

Word family

launch verb

to start or release something

launch noun

the start or release of something

soft launch noun

a quiet or limited release

relaunch verb

to launch again, often in a new form

Commonly confused: hard launch or soft launch?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hard launch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words