: 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
Jordanian aid officials say airlifts can get medicine into Gaza more reliably and faster than trucks.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Feb. 2025
The move backfired: a massive Anglo-American airlift foiled the blockade and spurred Western leaders to forge a military alliance to combat the Soviet threat, resulting in the creation of NATO in April 1949.
—James Hershberg, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2022
Proximity to Rickenbacker offers runway space certified for military cargo and airlift, plus broader access to the region's defense, aerospace, national security and Air Force industry.
—Andrew King, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
The airlifts were the result of painstaking negotiations between aid groups and several governments, including Israel, Egypt and Italy, and each of the wounded was accompanied by a caretaker, usually a relative.
—Laura Boushnak, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
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Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Feb. 2025
The move backfired: a massive Anglo-American airlift foiled the blockade and spurred Western leaders to forge a military alliance to combat the Soviet threat, resulting in the creation of NATO in April 1949.
—James Hershberg, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2022
Proximity to Rickenbacker offers runway space certified for military cargo and airlift, plus broader access to the region's defense, aerospace, national security and Air Force industry.
—Andrew King, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
The airlifts were the result of painstaking negotiations between aid groups and several governments, including Israel, Egypt and Italy, and each of the wounded was accompanied by a caretaker, usually a relative.
—Laura Boushnak, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for airlift
Dictionary Entries Near airlift
Cite this Entry
“Airlift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airlift. Accessed 24 Feb. 2025.
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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
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