: a vertical takeoff by an aircraft or a rocket vehicle or missile
Examples of liftoff in a Sentence
a series of successful liftoffs
Thousand of spectators gathered to watch the liftoff of the space shuttle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rocket Lab will stream the launch live beginning 30 minutes before liftoff.
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Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Dec. 2025
The rocket entered orbit as planned, but its first stage – the portion of the vehicle that propels it at liftoff – did not successfully return to a landing site, instead crashing down, the company said in a statement.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025
The craft docked at the International Space Station approximately three hours after liftoff.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
The last SIMPLEx mission, called Lunar Trailblazer, spun out and lost contact shortly after its liftoff in February.
—Morgan McFall-Johnsen, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Dec. 2025
The rocket entered orbit as planned, but its first stage – the portion of the vehicle that propels it at liftoff – did not successfully return to a landing site, instead crashing down, the company said in a statement.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025
The craft docked at the International Space Station approximately three hours after liftoff.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
The last SIMPLEx mission, called Lunar Trailblazer, spun out and lost contact shortly after its liftoff in February.
—Morgan McFall-Johnsen, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
Cite this Entry
“Liftoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liftoff. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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