: 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
Thirty-seven seconds after liftoff, one of two strap-on solid fuel boosters suffered an anomaly of sorts as can be seen by sparks and debris falling away from the rocket.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
Shortly after liftoff, the Dragon's pressure began to slowly lower while oxygen levels inside the cabin increased, helping purge nitrogen from the crew members' bloodstreams and lower the risk of decompression sickness, SpaceX said.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024
Soon after liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, the internal pressure of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was slowly lowered while oxygen levels increased incrementally.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for liftoff 
William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
Shortly after liftoff, the Dragon's pressure began to slowly lower while oxygen levels inside the cabin increased, helping purge nitrogen from the crew members' bloodstreams and lower the risk of decompression sickness, SpaceX said.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024
Soon after liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, the internal pressure of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was slowly lowered while oxygen levels increased incrementally.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 12 Sep. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Liftoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liftoff. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
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liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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