: 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
The first-stage booster made a successful 21st liftoff, but was expended to get the satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2026
All 36 should be flying freely by one hour and 51 minutes after liftoff, according to the press kit.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 17 June 2026
Isar called off a launch attempt on January 21 due to an issue with a pressurization valve, and then halted a countdown on March 25, moments before liftoff, when engineers detected rising temperatures in the rocket’s liquid propane fuel.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 June 2026
The damage to the concrete apron is not yet known; nor is the condition of the deluge system that pours up to a million gallons of water on the pad during launch to protect it from the heat of New Glenn’s engines and dampen the acoustical shock of a liftoff.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 May 2026
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Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2026
All 36 should be flying freely by one hour and 51 minutes after liftoff, according to the press kit.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 17 June 2026
Isar called off a launch attempt on January 21 due to an issue with a pressurization valve, and then halted a countdown on March 25, moments before liftoff, when engineers detected rising temperatures in the rocket’s liquid propane fuel.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 June 2026
The damage to the concrete apron is not yet known; nor is the condition of the deluge system that pours up to a million gallons of water on the pad during launch to protect it from the heat of New Glenn’s engines and dampen the acoustical shock of a liftoff.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 May 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 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liftoff
noun
lift·off
ˈlif-ˌtȯf 
: a vertical takeoff (as by a rocket)
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