airlift

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noun air·lift \ˈer-ˌlift\

Definition of airlift

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

airlift

transitive verb

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Examples of airlift in a Sentence

an emergency airlift to deliver supplies to the famine victims

Recent Examples of airlift from the Web

The airmen deployed to undisclosed locations in southwest Asia and worked in combat support operations such as tactical airlift, maintenance, security and logistics support.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "Connecticut Guard Members Return Home On A Fourth To Remember", 4 July 2017
One person is dead and another is awaiting airlift after a crash near Mount Rainier National Park, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

— kenny ocker, The Seattle Times, "SUV goes off cliff near Mount Rainier National Park; 1 dead", 17 June 2017
Left unsaid was that, in past years, judges have scheduled full weeks of hearings only to cancel them, sparing the Pentagon the logistical challenge of mounting an airlift of court personnel from Andrews Air Force Base to Guantánamo.

— carol rosenberg, miamiherald, "Night court at Guantánamo? Lone courtroom is double-booked", 2 June 2017
A National Guard airlift wing will perform a flyover.

— bradley zint, Daily Pilot, "Local events this weekend will honor Memorial Day", 24 May 2017
Two other older helicopters the department already owns will be designated for emergency medical situations and airlifts.

— larry barszewski, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Broward approves replacement of aging police radio system", 23 May 2017
A U.S. airlift of artillery and special forces advisers that placed them behind IS lines in March was a turning point in the Tabqa offensive and underscored the closeness between Washington and the SDF.

— bassem mroue, The Seattle Times, "U.S.-backed fighters retake more areas from Islamic State in Syrian town", 1 May 2017
In 1948 and 1949, American C-47s brought in millions of tons of food, coal and other supplies for the Berlin airlift, in an operation that, at its height, saw planes landing every 90 seconds.

— alison smale, New York Times, "Tempelhof Airport, Once a Lifeline for Berliners, Reprises Role for Refugees", 10 Feb. 2016
But Marine airlift is always a concern in Afghanistan:

— noah shachtman, WIRED, "Devil Dogs Get Another Crack at the Taliban", 10 Jan. 2008

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.