airdrop

noun

air·​drop ˈer-ˌdräp How to pronounce airdrop (audio)
: delivery of cargo, emergency supplies, or personnel by parachute from an airplane in flight
air-drop transitive verb
air-droppable adjective

Examples of airdrop in a Sentence

The group organized an airdrop of food for the refugees.
Recent Examples on the Web Aid groups have criticized airdrops and deliveries by sea as ineffective substitutes for deliveries by road. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Also on Saturday, Germany joined a group of countries, including the U.S. and Jordan, in conducting airdrops of aid over Gaza. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2024 Aid groups have pleaded for Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza through more land crossings, saying that only a stream of trucks — not more attention-grabbing methods such as airdrops or the ships — can sustain Gaza’s population. David Segal, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 Jordan has been able to do airdrops to supply field hospitals. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024 The maritime corridors, airdrops and truck convoys supplying aid are also running into the headwinds of Israeli politics. Matt Gutman, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024 Several countries, including Jordan, France, Egypt, the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, and now Germany, are coordinating airdrops of humanitarian aid to help alleviate the crisis, and the U.S. military is working to a build a temporary port on Gaza’s coastline to bring in additional aid. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 Blockchain networks, through mechanisms such as airdrops, grants, and contributor rewards, expand the circle once more. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 So the nine cargo planes taking part in Friday’s daily airdrop were carrying the bulk of the aid that would reach 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'airdrop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of airdrop was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near airdrop

Cite this Entry

“Airdrop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airdrop. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

airdrop

noun
air·​drop -ˌdräp How to pronounce airdrop (audio)
: delivery of cargo, supplies, or people by parachute from an airplane
air-drop
-ˌdräp
verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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