takeoff
Americannoun
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takeoffs
plural
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a taking or setting off; the leaving of the ground, as in leaping or in beginning a flight in an airplane.
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a taking off from a starting point, as in beginning a race.
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the place or point at which a person or thing takes off.
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a humorous or satirical imitation; burlesque.
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Machinery. a shaft geared to a main shaft for running auxiliary machinery.
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a branch connection to a pipe, electric line, etc.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of takeoff
First recorded in 1820–30; noun use of verb phrase take off
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Each F-35B, the variant of the stealth fighter jet with vertical takeoff and landing capability, costs about $109 million, according to maker Lockheed Martin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
In April, an SAS flight returned to Aberdeen, Scotland, shortly after takeoff after a laptop caught fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The 11 other aircraft can be inspected later, but before their thirteenth flight, that is, 25 cycles, with one cycle consisting of a flight, a takeoff, and a landing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The crash occurred shortly after takeoff in what military officials said was supposed to be a test flight to update the B-52’s radar, and a wider effort to modernize the 70-year-old heavy bomber fleet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Auntie North gave Llewelyn chamomile tea to calm his nerves, and he fell asleep before takeoff.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Teams also closely monitored how the X-59 performed during takeoffs, landings, and flight operations.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026
Equally obscure for many is just how central that role was—a crucial factor of one of the biggest economic takeoffs in history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
This week the FAA slowed takeoffs at several airports in response to growing shortages, including at air traffic control centers in Atlanta, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025
All takeoffs from Israel’s main airport were halted for several hours; restaurants closed; the country’s largest port stopped working.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2025
There were no clever skits, no farcical takeoffs on the subject of Stanley Martin and the Nipe.
From Anything You Can Do ... by Garrett, Randall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
