lift off

Idioms and Phrases

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

She described lift-off as “a combination of excitement and fear,” and an “awesome experience.”

From The Daily Beast

I had never heard of its existence until a few hours before lift-off from Lunar Base.

From Project Gutenberg