airlift

noun

air·​lift ˈer-ˌlift How to pronounce airlift (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Skeptics complain that Europe lacks the airlift capacity to rapidly move forces around Europe, but this is a rhetorical diversion. Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025 Here's how much an iPhone could cost with Trump's tariffs on China China hikes tariffs on U.S. goods to 84%, as EU also hits back Apple airlifts iPhones out of India to avoid Trump tariffs, report says Why did Trump pause the tariffs? Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025 What To Know The U.S. Air Force's 18th Wing, which is the host aviation unit for Kadena Air Base, published photos on Thursday that showed at least nine KC-135 aerial refueling and airlift aircraft, also known as Stratotanker, lining up on a flight line at the base last Friday. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025 Ford ordered several airlifts to extract 130,000 South Vietnamese refugees and asylum-seekers. CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for airlift

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of airlift was in 1943

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Cite this Entry

“Airlift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airlift. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

airlift

noun
air·​lift ˈa(ə)r-ˌlift How to pronounce airlift (audio)
ˈe(ə)r-
: a system of transporting cargo or passengers by aircraft to or from an area otherwise impossible to reach
airlift verb

More from Merriam-Webster on airlift

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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