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décoller

take off (aircraft); peel off

verb deh-koh-LEH Less Common

Usage Note

Décoller is the standard verb for an aircraft taking off (l'avion décolle à midi); it is the opposite of atterrir (to land). In everyday contexts it also means to peel something off a surface (décoller une étiquette — to peel off a label). Figuratively it can mean to get going or make progress.

Examples

"L'avion décolle dans dix minutes."

Natural Translation

The plane takes off in ten minutes.

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