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definitions

liftoff

or lift-off

[ lift-awf, -of ]
/ ˈlɪftˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR liftoff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Aeronautics, Rocketry.
  1. the action of an aircraft in becoming airborne or of a rocket in rising from its launching site under its own power.
  2. 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.

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RELATED WORDS

escalate, climb, soar, blow, depart, withdraw, go, disappear, fly, rise, sprout, mount, float, scale, arise, tower, ascend, bear, begone, decamp

Nearby words

  1. liftboy,
  2. lifter,
  3. liftgate,
  4. lifting body,
  5. lifting sail,
  6. lig,
  7. lig snail,
  8. ligament,
  9. ligament of head of femur,
  10. ligamentopexis

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. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for lift off

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

Word Origin and History for lift off

liftoff

n.

also lift-off, "vertical take-off of a rocket, etc.," 1956, American English, from lift (v.) + off.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with lift off

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.