sortie

noun

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sor·tie | \ ˈsȯr-tē

, sȯr-ˈtē \

Definition of sortie

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

2 : one mission or attack by a single plane

3a : foray, raid

b : excursion, expedition diving sorties

Other Words from sortie Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About sortie

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 Irregardless, Russia’s amphibious sortie shows what aggressive Navies can do with second-string combatants. — Craig Hooper, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2022 Stephan said Saturday night’s situation was different than his extra-inning sortie against the Twins. — Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 26 June 2022 With 46 trucks — some making more than one sortie a day — the Stonecrest center supplies deliveries in a roughly 200-mile radius. — Michael E. Kanell, ajc, 9 June 2022 Needing more biographical detail, Roger insisted upon a between-innings sortie to the press box for the up-to-date lowdown. — Mark Singer, The New Yorker, 1 June 2022 Those other dudes have all stoked my (re)imagination in recent years, but Mav hasn't put an arm around me since his triumph in that dubious sortie over the Indian Ocean back in 1986. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 26 May 2022 On sunny afternoons there would be a dozen of them lounging and smoking outside the HSBC bank building on West Georgia Street, waiting for their next sortie, looking bored and skeptical, outlaws every one. — New York Times, 23 May 2022 The MiG-29s would not save thousands of Ukrainian lives but certainly would consume the last measure of bravery of 28 Ukrainian pilots in their one and only sortie into combat. — WSJ, 13 Mar. 2022 As the Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln strike groups began their dual carrier operations on Sunday, China flew 39 warplanes toward Taiwan in its largest such sortie of the new year, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. — David Rising, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2022 See More

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