liftoff

American  

[lift-awf, -of] / ˈlɪftˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Or lift-off

noun

liftoffs plural

1. 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.

2. Informal. the launching or commencement of a project, plan, etc..

   The liftoff of the sales campaign will be next month.

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adjective

1. able to be shifted or removed by lifting off; capable of being lifted off.

   I organized the workshop with these liftoff adhesive labels for bins and shelves.

   We used magnetic liftoff nameplates on the lockers.

liftoff British  

/ ˈlɪftˌɒf /

noun

1. the initial movement or ascent of a rocket from its launch pad

2. the instant at which this occurs

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verb

1. (intr, adverb) (of a rocket) to leave its launch pad

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• liftoffs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of liftoff

First recorded in 1955–60; noun and adjective use of verb phrase lift off

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liftoff liftoffs

Wagner is confident that geothermal energy has now achieved liftoff, and will only get better and cheaper over time.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Alexi has achieved cultural liftoff in a you-gotta-see-this way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

He has edited his solos a little; they seem more concise, but they still achieve the same goal: liftoff.

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

The test mission is meant to last approximately 65 minutes after liftoff, as the upper stage cruises on a suborbital trajectory and eventually splashes down in the Indian Ocean, if all goes to plan.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

We were over Australia now, exactly one hour after liftoff, and all our machinery seemed to be working perfectly.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Security Council resolutions prohibit any satellite liftoffs by North Korea, viewing them as covers for testing its long-range missile technology.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

They also say if North Korea launches multiple missiles from different sites simultaneously, it would be more difficult for the allies to spot liftoffs in advance and shoot them down.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2022

It was a thing of teeth-rattling liftoffs and bone-thumping landings and a dependence on fire—fire!, the fuel of the primitives—to get anywhere at all.

From Time ● Feb. 27, 2015

The engaging Gomez’s liftoffs occur courtesy of ZFX’s flying ­effects.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2014

Yet that audience dwindled quickly after the first flight in 1981 as the missions turned routine, or at least seemed that way to the television executives who decided to stop showing live liftoffs.

From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2011

Related Words

• launch