liftoff

noun

lift·​off ˈlift-ˌȯf How to pronounce liftoff (audio)
: 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 With 33 engines at its base, each more powerful than one of the nine used on the Falcon, the Super Heavy booster packs roughly 10 times the amount of thrust at liftoff. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024 The company will livestream the launch, starting about 35 minutes before liftoff. Wes Davis, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2024 If the mission were to launch Sunday, NASA's preset liftoff time is 12:12 p.m. ET. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024 The booster anomaly could be seen in long-range tracking camera views when a shower of sparks and what looked like debris fell away from the right-side SRB 37 seconds after liftoff. William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liftoff 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liftoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of liftoff was circa 1956

Dictionary Entries Near liftoff

Cite this Entry

“Liftoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liftoff. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

liftoff

noun
lift·​off ˈlif-ˌtȯf How to pronounce liftoff (audio)
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)

More from Merriam-Webster on liftoff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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