: 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
The first-stage booster made a successful 21st liftoff, but was expended to get the satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026
That issue took possible March liftoff dates off the table and prompted NASA to roll the rocket back off the launchpad for servicing.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Artemis 2 managers met over the past two days, conducting the mission's flight readiness review (FRR) ahead of rolling its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule back to the launch pad for liftoff.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
The practice liftoff to get into a new lunar orbit was supposed to have been in February.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026
That issue took possible March liftoff dates off the table and prompted NASA to roll the rocket back off the launchpad for servicing.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Artemis 2 managers met over the past two days, conducting the mission's flight readiness review (FRR) ahead of rolling its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule back to the launch pad for liftoff.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
The practice liftoff to get into a new lunar orbit was supposed to have been in February.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Feb. 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 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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