: 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
Coverage will begin about an hour before liftoff.
—
Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Oct. 2025
How to watch SpaceX livestream As with most SpaceX missions, the launch will be available to stream on the company's website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about five minutes before liftoff.
—Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Thrust is the sheer force generated by a rocket’s engines at liftoff.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
After liftoff from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on May 27, the vehicle successfully reached the Earth's orbit, but an apparent propellant leak caused a loss of altitude.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Oct. 2025
How to watch SpaceX livestream As with most SpaceX missions, the launch will be available to stream on the company's website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about five minutes before liftoff.
—Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Thrust is the sheer force generated by a rocket’s engines at liftoff.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
After liftoff from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on May 27, the vehicle successfully reached the Earth's orbit, but an apparent propellant leak caused a loss of altitude.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 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 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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