liftoff

or lift-off

[lift-awf, -of]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR liftoff ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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

Related Words for liftoff

shot

Examples from the Web for liftoff

Contemporary Examples of liftoff

She watched the liftoff from a boat floating down the Banana River near the launch site in Florida.
Moon Men: The Private Lives of Neil Armstrong and Pals in “Togethersville”
Lily Koppel
September 1, 2012
They tell Sandra McElwaine about their orbital road trip ahead of Scott's liftoff this week.
Twins in Space!
Sandra McElwaine
October 3, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for liftoff

liftoff

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 liftoff

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