airlift

air·lift | \ ˈer-ˌlift

How to pronounce airlift (audio)

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Definition of airlift

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

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Examples of airlift in a Sentence

an emergency airlift to deliver supplies to the famine victims

Recent Examples on the Web Highlighting its unsanitary, crowded conditions as especially dangerous during the pandemic, Kindernothilfe, a children’s rights and humanitarian assistance organization in Germany, lobbied the government for an airlift. — Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, "For refugees, a plea: You can’t beat a pandemic by leaving people out," 13 May 2020 In addition to obscuring where supplies are going, the Trump administration also hasn’t offered a financial accounting of how much the airlift project costs. — Los Angeles Times, "Trump administration blocks public disclosure on coronavirus supplies," 1 May 2020 The airlift includes 2 million respirator masks, 11,000 protective coveralls and 280,000 pairs of nitrile gloves, the courier said in a statement Jan. 31. — Bloomberg.com, "Travel Warnings, Caterpillar Gloom, Car Output: Virus Impact," 29 Apr. 2020 The storm also damaged or destroyed better than half of the 52 airplanes at the Lowcountry regional private airport, including a Douglas C-54 that delivered supplies during the Berlin airlift of 1948-49. — New York Times, "Dozens Are Killed as Tornadoes and Severe Weather Strike Southern States," 13 Apr. 2020 Wochit The airlift of passengers off the Coral Princess cruise ship continued Thursday – except for 13 foreign travelers aren't being allowed to depart and will have to stay on board for now. — David Oliver, USA TODAY, "Coronavirus: 13 Coral Princess guests stuck aboard; 6 infected on Norwegian Pride of America," 9 Apr. 2020 This week’s airlift came after 18 months of negotiations with Saudi Arabia, whose sweeping restrictions on the entry of aid and essential goods into the country has resulted in widespread starvation and a humanitarian crisis. — New York Times, "The Limits of U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, by the Numbers," 7 Feb. 2020 A decade later, Richard Nixon was the first to provide meaningful military aid: the U.S. arms airlift during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. — Boaz Dvir, The Conversation, "Biden and Trump agree on strong US-Israel relations – Bernie, not so much," 13 Mar. 2020 Russia has closed its border with China and blocked Chinese tour groups from entering the country, Japan has initiated airlifts to get its citizens out of Wuhan, and Indian airlines have canceled many flights to China. — Cassidy Morrison, Washington Examiner, "True China coronavirus cases number could be 10 times official figure: Study," 31 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'airlift.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Airlift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airlift. Accessed 27 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for airlift

airlift

noun

English Language Learners Definition of airlift

: an occurrence in which people or things are carried to or from a place by airplanes during an emergency when other methods are not possible

See the full definition for airlift in the English Language Learners Dictionary

airlift

air·lift | \ ˈer-ˌlift

\

airlifted; airlifting

Kids Definition of airlift

: to move people or cargo by aircraft usually to or from an area that cannot be reached otherwise Food was airlifted to the earthquake victims.

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