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lift off

Idioms

Begin flight, as in The spacecraft was due to lift off at ten o'clock. The off in this idiom means “off the ground.” [Late 1800s]

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.

As the ice thinned, this smooth foundation allowed large sections to lift off the ground and float, triggering an unusual and sudden calving event.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2026

When outages drag on for hours, the back-up batteries don't have time to recharge, forcing Biletsky to cut the lift off to prioritise water pumps.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

SpaceX has been advancing the vehicle through test missions that lift off from its complex outside Brownsville, Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

"Their wings are growing and getting bigger and they get a better wing load ratio to wing load area so they can lift off easier."

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

Lights flicker on above us and my feet lift off the ground, like there’s some invisible elevator carrying me upward.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023