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Glite Dictionary
blastoff

blastoff

3 6.1
The moment a rocket or spacecraft lifts off the ground
  • noun
  • /ˈblæstˌɔf/
translation icon : despegue
  • T-minus three, two, one, blastoff!
  • blastoff into space
  • Three, two, one, blastoff
  • Two, one, blastoff

Examples

  • This rocket sled produces 20 billion pounds of thrust to prepare for blastoff...

    Turk 182! (1985)

  • Unfortunately, Oceano IIisn't ready for blastoff yet.

    Queen of Blood (1966)

  • The timing of their blastoff should be just about now.

    Queen of Blood (1966)

  • We closed our eyes and pictured a perfect flight... from blastoff to splashdown.

    CrissCross (1992)

  • Prepare for blastoff.

    The Last Starfighter (1984)

  • Two Metro choppers and the C.G. cutter won't be given final coordinates... until 30 minutes before blastoff.

    Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper (1984)

  • T-minus three, two, one, blastoff!

  • The countdown resumed for today's scheduled blastoff of the space shuttle Columbia.

  • The space shuttle "Atlantis" is scheduled for blastoff from Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning.

Synonyms

launch
vsblastoff
589 4.0

A moment when people make something move, for example a boat or rocket

refers to the precise moment a rocket missile or spacecraft leaves the ground
takeoff
vsblastoff
80 2.8

The moment an airplane leaves the ground and begins to fly

is used for rockets missiles and spacecraft leaving the ground rather than planes
liftoff
vsblastoff
  • Specialized
29 4.8

The moment a rocket leaves the launch pad and starts to rise

includes launches of missiles and spacecraft as well as rockets
rocket firing
vsblastoff
  • Specialized
2 4.5

An event when a rocket moves into the sky using its engines

is the moment of leaving the ground regardless of propulsion type
rocket launching
vsblastoff
  • Specialized
1 3.7

Sending a rocket into the sky using its own engines

is the exact instant when a vehicle leaves the ground

How Forceful

blastoff
3 6.1
liftoff
  • Specialized
29 4.8
takeoff
80 2.8
hop
41 1.0

Surface Forms

blastoff singular
blastoffs plural

Morphology

blastoff = blast + off (semi-transparent) = blast + off

The meaning is built from the familiar phrasal idea of 'blast off', but the noun is a lexicalized launch term rather than a fully literal compositional phrase.

Etymology

Blastoff comes from the common words blast 'a sudden strong burst' and off 'away'. So, the word creates the image of a loud blast pushing a rocket away at the moment it launches.