liftoff

noun

lift·​off ˈlift-ˌȯf 

: a vertical takeoff by an aircraft or a rocket vehicle or missile

Synonyms of liftoff

• launch
• takeoff

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

Its Defense Ministry said its military monitored preparations for the launch, detected the missile after liftoff and tracked its flight. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but in the end, the skies cleared enough to allow for a safe liftoff. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026

Indeed, the company is targeting 10,000 Starship liftoffs per year by 2030, Elon Musk has said. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2026

The first-stage booster was never meant to return to the Starbase launch site either, instead dropping into the Gulf of Mexico within minutes of the morning liftoff. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1956, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for liftoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff
• runoff

Kids Definition

liftoff

noun

lift·​off ˈlif-ˌtȯf 

: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)