: 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
In the first attempt, the North Korean rocket carrying the satellite crashed into the ocean soon after liftoff.
—
Hyung-Jin Kim, TIME, 27 May 2024
As Cannes approaches its end, here are five takeaways from a festival that’s still struggling to achieve liftoff.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 May 2024
The liftoff from a West Texas launch site marked the first passenger flight in nearly two years for the commercial space venture run by billionaire Jeff Bezos.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 19 May 2024
Poor Laika perished about seven hours after liftoff, having endured terrible stress and unbearable temperatures (the latter were due to an issue with the thermal insulation).
—Emily Harnett, Harper's Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for liftoff 
Hyung-Jin Kim, TIME, 27 May 2024
As Cannes approaches its end, here are five takeaways from a festival that’s still struggling to achieve liftoff.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 May 2024
The liftoff from a West Texas launch site marked the first passenger flight in nearly two years for the commercial space venture run by billionaire Jeff Bezos.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 19 May 2024
Poor Laika perished about seven hours after liftoff, having endured terrible stress and unbearable temperatures (the latter were due to an issue with the thermal insulation).
—Emily Harnett, Harper's Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for liftoff
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liftoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Liftoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liftoff. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
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liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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