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: 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
Articles Related to liftoff
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
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
More from Merriam-Webster on liftoff
Nglish: Translation of liftoff for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about liftoff
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