: 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
Ahead of their liftoff, Gosling recorded a video for the astronauts, sending his best wishes to the Artemis II crew.
—
Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
That information will be constantly updated beginning about one minute after liftoff until Orion begins its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere about 10 days later.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2026
After a powerful liftoff Wednesday, Artemis II’s journey to the moon has been about as mundane as a deep space mission can get.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The ship's lunar loo malfunctioned following liftoff and has remained a lingering issue.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
That information will be constantly updated beginning about one minute after liftoff until Orion begins its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere about 10 days later.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2026
After a powerful liftoff Wednesday, Artemis II’s journey to the moon has been about as mundane as a deep space mission can get.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The ship's lunar loo malfunctioned following liftoff and has remained a lingering issue.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 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 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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