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liftoff

or lift-off

[ lift-awf, -of ]
/ ˈlɪftˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR liftoff

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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Origin of liftoff

First recorded in 1955–60; noun, adj. use of verb phrase lift off

Words nearby liftoff

lifter, “Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing”, liftgate, lifting body, lifting sail, liftoff, lift pump, lift-slab, lift the curtain, lift truck, lig
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to liftoff

shot, take-off

Example sentences from the Web for liftoff

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.