: 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
If all goes to plan, the 29 Starlink spacecraft will be deployed into LEO about 65 minutes after liftoff.
—
Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 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
The rocket is built to be reusable, with the first stage – or booster that provides the initial burst of thrust at liftoff – designed to last for at least 25 flights, according to Blue Origin.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
Leadling lights of the scene like Jane Remover, Frost Children and underscores — the latter of whom has its own dope new release today — help Brown achieve liftoff here, as the rapper sounds perfectly at home within his glitchier (and at times house-ier) new sonic environs.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liftoff
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Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 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
The rocket is built to be reusable, with the first stage – or booster that provides the initial burst of thrust at liftoff – designed to last for at least 25 flights, according to Blue Origin.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
Leadling lights of the scene like Jane Remover, Frost Children and underscores — the latter of whom has its own dope new release today — help Brown achieve liftoff here, as the rapper sounds perfectly at home within his glitchier (and at times house-ier) new sonic environs.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 7 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 22 Nov. 2025.
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liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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