: 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
Rain or thick cloud cover can interfere with tracking and safety systems during liftoff.
—
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The astronauts will be driven to the launch pad roughly 4 hours and 40 minutes before liftoff, where crews will help strap them into their seats aboard the Orion capsule.
—Tom Costello, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
If the launch team announces a hold, this indicates a natural pause in the countdown, which is intended to allow for tasks to be performed or for a slight delay so that liftoff will align with a specific launch time that doesn’t disrupt the schedule.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
There was one woman in the packed firing room for the liftoff of Apollo 11.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The astronauts will be driven to the launch pad roughly 4 hours and 40 minutes before liftoff, where crews will help strap them into their seats aboard the Orion capsule.
—Tom Costello, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
If the launch team announces a hold, this indicates a natural pause in the countdown, which is intended to allow for tasks to be performed or for a slight delay so that liftoff will align with a specific launch time that doesn’t disrupt the schedule.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
There was one woman in the packed firing room for the liftoff of Apollo 11.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
