: 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 craft docked at the International Space Station approximately three hours after liftoff.
—
Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
If all goes according to plan on Monday morning, the Falcon 9's upper stage will deploy Sentinel-6B about 57 minutes after liftoff.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Nov. 2025
The last SIMPLEx mission, called Lunar Trailblazer, spun out and lost contact shortly after its liftoff in February.
—Morgan McFall-Johnsen, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
During that January mission, the company failed to recover New Glenn’s first-stage booster, which is the bottommost portion of the rocket that gives the vehicle its initial burst of power at liftoff.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
If all goes according to plan on Monday morning, the Falcon 9's upper stage will deploy Sentinel-6B about 57 minutes after liftoff.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Nov. 2025
The last SIMPLEx mission, called Lunar Trailblazer, spun out and lost contact shortly after its liftoff in February.
—Morgan McFall-Johnsen, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
During that January mission, the company failed to recover New Glenn’s first-stage booster, which is the bottommost portion of the rocket that gives the vehicle its initial burst of power at liftoff.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
Cite this Entry
“Liftoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liftoff. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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