Take off or takeoff?
take off is a verb meaning “To remove”; takeoff is a noun meaning “A launch or ascent into the air or into flight, such as of an aircraft, rocket…”. Use take off as a verb and takeoff as a noun. take off is written as two words and takeoff as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between take off and takeoff?
| take off | takeoff | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, noun | noun |
| Meaning | To remove To imitate (somebody), often in a satirical manner | A launch or ascent into the air or into flight, such as of an aircraft, rocket, bird, high-jumper etc A parody or lampoon of someone or something |
| Example | He took off his shoes | The flight was smooth, but the takeoff was a little rough |
| Forms | none | takeoffs |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 2.2 times per million words |
Sources: take off and takeoff in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of take off and takeoff
take off
- 1
To remove
He took off his shoes
- 2
Alternative form of takeoff
- 3
To imitate (somebody), often in a satirical manner
- 4
To leave the ground and ascend into the air or into flight
The plane has been cleared to take off from runway 3
- 5
To stand up on a surfboard and begin to surf a breaking wave
- 6
To become successful, to flourish
The business has really taken off this year and has made quite a profit
- 7
To depart
I'm going to take off now
- 8
To quantify
I'll take off the concrete and steel for this construction project
takeoff
- 1
A launch or ascent into the air or into flight, such as of an aircraft, rocket, bird, high-jumper etc
The flight was smooth, but the takeoff was a little rough
- 2
A parody or lampoon of someone or something
Weird Al's song "Lasagna" is a takeoff on the popular song "La Bamba"
- 3
A quantification, especially of building materials
I'll give you an estimate after I do the quantity takeoffs for the trusses and structural steel
- 4
UKThe removal of sheets from the press
- 5
The spot from which one takes off; specifically, the place from which a jumper rises in leaping
Encyclopaedia of Sport The take-off should be selected with great care, and a pit of large dimensions provided on the landing side
- 6
The initial movement a surfer makes to start riding a wave
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, take off or takeoff?
take off is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; takeoff 2.2 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).