sortie

noun

sor·​tie ˈsȯr-tē 

sȯr-ˈtē

1

: a sudden issuing of troops from a defensive position against the enemy

2

: one mission or attack by a single plane

3

a

: foray, raid

b

: excursion, expedition

diving sorties

sortie intransitive verb

sortied; sortieing

Synonyms of sortie

• excursion
• tour

Examples of sortie in a Sentence

an occasional sortie to the city to rummage through some of its numerous used-book stores

Recent Examples on the Web

The short sortie—which lasted about a mile and reached only about 70 feet in altitude—made the 320-foot-wide behemoth the largest airplane ever to take flight. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Oct. 2026

Carrying several rockets lets the aircraft conduct multiple engagements in one sortie, though the number of successful interceptions will depend on the targets, engagement conditions, and available ammunition. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026

If that holds up in real-world use, flight schools could squeeze in more than six sorties per aircraft each day, without the downtime of refueling a gas tank. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

The two men often kept in touch about their sorties, but not this time. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from sortir to go out, leave

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sortie

• corti
• forty
• rorty
• shorty
• sporty
• warty
• pianoforte

Kids Definition

sortie

noun

sor·​tie ˈsȯrt-ē 

sȯr-ˈtē

: a sudden rushing out of troops from a position of defense against the enemy : sally

sortie verb