LIFT OFF

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does lift off mean? 

• LIFT OFF (verb)
  The verb LIFT OFF has 1 sense:

1. depart from the ground

  Familiarity information: LIFT OFF used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LIFT OFF (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Depart from the ground

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

lift off; take off

Context example:

The plane took off two hours late

Hypernyms (to "lift off" is one way to...):

depart; part; set forth; set off; set out; start; start out; take off (leave)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sentence example:

The airplane is sure to lift off

Derivation:

liftoff (the initial ascent of a rocket from its launching pad)

 Context examples 

This allowed warm seawater to flow under the shelf, causing it to lift off from the prominent sea floor ridge that held it in place.

(West Antarctica's largest glacier may have started retreating as early as the 1940s, NSF)