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

The successful Queensland sortie suggests that these practical hurdles are beginning to yield to engineering solutions. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026

If that holds up in real-world use, flight schools could squeeze in more than six sorties per aircraft each day, without the downtime of refueling a gas tank. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

The two men often kept in touch about their sorties, but not this time. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

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

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