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

On Saturday, Iranian authorities alleged for the first time that the pilots had been captured in Qatar, after previously saying one pilot had been killed and three others were missing following their sortie. — August 17, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Engineers completed 27 autonomous intercepts across eight sorties using the X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, better known as VISTA. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

SpaceX aims to transfer cryogenic propellants between Starships in LEO, perhaps late this year or next year, in a precursor experiment for future large-scale refueling sorties to support Moon landings for NASA’s Artemis program. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026

Space Force's Space Systems Command put a 72-hour deadline for the orbital sortie's successful completion, which wrapped up 11 hours ahead of schedule, according to a True Anomaly statement. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 3 July 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