liftoff
or lift-off
[ lift-awf, -of ]
/ ˈlɪftˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
noun
Aeronautics, Rocketry.
- the action of an aircraft in becoming airborne or of a rocket in rising from its launching site under its own power.
- the instant when such action occurs.
Informal. the launching or commencement of a project, plan, etc.: The liftoff of the sales campaign will be next month.
adjective
that removes by lifting off; capable of being lifted off: a liftoff correction tape for typewriters; magnetized, liftoff nameplates.
QUIZZES
LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!
Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
Origin of liftoff
First recorded in 1955–60; noun, adj. use of verb phrase lift off
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for liftoff
liftoff
/ (ˈlɪftˌɒf) /
noun
the initial movement or ascent of a rocket from its launch pad
the instant at which this occurs
verb lift off
(intr, adverb) (of a rocket) to leave its launch pad
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with liftoff
lift off
Begin flight, as in The spacecraft was due to lift off at ten o'clock. The off in this idiom means “off the ground.” [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.