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:
A preliminary report says a change in the Marine One takeoff location blocked radio communications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
My arms are extended at my sides and I’m leaning forward slightly — not unlike a 3-year-old pretending to be an airplane readying for takeoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
They asked about the unusual journey, which included an order by the Secret Service that the window shades on the decoy plane be closed during takeoff from Ankara.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The business, recognized by its distinctive orange branding, controls valuable takeoff and landing slots at some of the region’s busiest airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
"The U-2 required very little runway for takeoff; a thousand feet would suffice. Within moments...you could begin climbing—at better than a forty-five-degree angle."
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Teams also closely monitored how the X-59 performed during takeoffs, landings, and flight operations.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026
Narrow-body jet engines experience higher stress from repeated takeoffs and landings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
LAX is still considered one of the busiest airports in the world when ranked by takeoffs and landings, but it fell from No. 6 to No. 7, according to ACI.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 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 Randall Garrett
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.
