airlift

noun

air·​lift ˈer-ˌlift 

: a system of transporting cargo or passengers by aircraft often to or from an otherwise inaccessible area

airlift transitive verb

Examples of airlift in a Sentence

an emergency airlift to deliver supplies to the famine victims

Recent Examples on the Web

According to a release, the Christian relief organization has donated 700,000 pounds of supplies to 80 communities on 357 airlifts. —Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 2 Nov. 2024

Samaritan’s Purse has also completed the largest civilian airlift operation in American history to relieve those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, completing 358 missions so far. —Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024

The airlift, an elevator-like device, brings the stall to the aircraft on the runway, shortly before takeoff. —Lukas Weese, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024

For instance, when the United States pulled most of its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, Europeans relied on U.S. troops for the airlift of European evacuees. —Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

airlift

noun

air·​lift ˈa(ə)r-ˌlift 

ˈe(ə)r-

: a system of transporting cargo or passengers by aircraft to or from an area otherwise impossible to reach

airlift verb