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:
They came after two Qantas planes also avoided a collision on July 27 after they had been cleared for takeoff.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 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
Dispatches sent by pool media on board noted a Secret Service order that window shades be lowered during takeoff -- an unusual instruction outside of combat zones.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
It has flown six generations of eVTOLs, or electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the companies said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
He was two steps behind when I hit the foul line, and when I took my takeoff step he was still on the wood.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
Teams also closely monitored how the X-59 performed during takeoffs, landings, and flight operations.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026
Sometimes that means longer flight routes or startlingly rapid takeoffs and landings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 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.
