the minimum velocity that a body must have in order to escape from the gravitational field of the earth or other celestial body
escape velocity in American English
the minimum speed required for a particle, space vehicle, or other body to escape permanently from the gravitational fieldof a planet, star, etc.: it is c. 11.3 km (c. 7 mi) per second for escape from the earth
Examples of 'escape velocity' in a sentence
escape velocity
Severing it halfway up would cause the upper half to reach escape velocity and fly out of orbit.