: 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
Wednesday's launch was SpaceX's 79th Falcon 9 liftoff of the year.
—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
2 July 2026
The May 6 attempt was scrubbed two hours before liftoff because of valve on ULA’s upper Centaur stage that teams continue to investigate.
—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2026
The pace of rocket launches has broken records this year, with more than 125 orbital liftoffs worldwide.
—
Kaylah Jackson,
NBC news,
29 June 2026
Isar called off a launch attempt on January 21 due to an issue with a pressurization valve, and then halted a countdown on March 25, moments before liftoff, when engineers detected rising temperatures in the rocket’s liquid propane fuel.
—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
2 July 2026
The May 6 attempt was scrubbed two hours before liftoff because of valve on ULA’s upper Centaur stage that teams continue to investigate.
—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2026
The pace of rocket launches has broken records this year, with more than 125 orbital liftoffs worldwide.
—
Kaylah Jackson,
NBC news,
29 June 2026
Isar called off a launch attempt on January 21 due to an issue with a pressurization valve, and then halted a countdown on March 25, moments before liftoff, when engineers detected rising temperatures in the rocket’s liquid propane fuel.
—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
Cite this Entry
“Liftoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liftoff. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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