Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of rising in flight. Used of an aircraft or a rocket.
  • noun The point or place from which one takes off.
  • noun Informal An amusing imitative caricature, parody, or burlesque.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of taking off, in any sense; especially, an imitation or mimicking; a caricature; a burlesque representation.
  • noun The point at which one takes off; specifically, the point at which a leaper rises from the ground in taking a fence or bar.
  • noun In croquet, a stroke by which the player's ball is driven forward in the line of aim or nearly so, and the ball it touches is barely moved or even allowed to remain undisturbed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An imitation, especially in the way of caricature; -- used with of or on.
  • noun The spot at which one takes off; specif., the place from which a jumper rises in leaping.
  • noun The beginning of a leap from a surface or a flight into the air, especially the process or event of an airplane leaving the ground and beginning its flight.
  • intransitive verb to begin a leap from a surface or a flight into the air; especially, (of a bird or an airplane) to leave the ground and begin to fly.
  • intransitive verb To begin a period of accelerating growth or development.
  • intransitive verb To begin a journey; to depart.
  • transitive verb To remove, as from the surface or outside; to remove from the top of anything.
  • transitive verb To cut off.
  • transitive verb To destroy.
  • transitive verb To remove; to invalidate.
  • transitive verb To withdraw; to call or draw away.
  • transitive verb To swallow.
  • transitive verb To purchase; to take in trade.
  • transitive verb To copy; to reproduce.
  • transitive verb To imitate; to mimic; to personate.
  • transitive verb rare To find place for; to dispose of
  • transitive verb To discount or deduct (from a price).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The rising or ascent of an aircraft or rocket into flight.
  • noun A parody or lampoon of someone or something.
  • noun A quantification, especially of building materials.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb take time off from work; stop working temporarily
  • verb prove fatal
  • verb remove clothes
  • verb leave
  • verb get started or set in motion, used figuratively
  • verb depart from the ground
  • verb mimic or imitate in an amusing or satirical manner
  • verb make a subtraction
  • verb take away or remove
  • noun the initial ascent of an airplane as it becomes airborne
  • noun a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way
  • noun humorous or satirical mimicry
  • noun a departure; especially of airplanes

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

noun use of the verb to take off

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Examples

  • The measure would give a flight's captain the authority to extend the wait an additional half hour if it appears that clearance to takeoff is near.

    Three airlines fined in Minnesota tarmac stranding 2009

  • NEW YORK (AP) American Airlines is delaying the launch of flights between Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Beijing until it gets approval for certain takeoff and landing times from Chinese authorities.

    American Airlines delays start of Chicago-Beijing flights 2010

  • I don't know that it replicates a "higher class of literature"; isn't Eragon a Tolkein takeoff?

    Penderwicks 2009

  • Bozo Baird should know a JATO [rocket-assisted] takeoff is not kind to the environment - what a maroon!

    Brian Baird led junket to South Pole on taxpayers' dime (Jack Bog's Blog) 2009

  • The F18 A/B are almost worn out (sea air and carrier takeoff is bad for fighters – corrosion).

    Matthew Yglesias » Selling In Circles 2007

  • A JetBlue airliner unsuccessfully attempted to make an emergency landing Wednesday after its front wheels were turned sideways and unable to retract into the plane after takeoff from a nearby airport.

    09/21/2005 2005

  • Adams, a Lieutenant in the US Navy, was killed early Sunday morning when two British Sea King helicopters collided shortly after takeoff from a ship in the Persian Gulf.

    Archive 2003-03-01 liz donovan 2003

  • "The coaches saw that, so they called the in takeoff and Billy put it where it needed to be."

    USATODAY.com 2003

  • Freestyle skiing aerialist Eric Bergoust: Hitting a nice takeoff is a lot like hitting a nice drive in golf.

    USATODAY.com - Athletes the world over in awe of Woods 2002

  • The aircraft received extensive automatic small arms fire upon takeoff from the Landing Zone, took numerous hits and crashed 350 meters from the LZ, located about 15 miles inside Laos west of the A Shau Valley.

    Dexter, Ronald J. 1991

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