sortie

[ sawr-tee ]

noun

1. a rapid movement of troops from a besieged place to attack the besiegers.
2. a body of troops involved in such a movement.
3. the flying of an airplane on a combat mission.

verb (used without object)

, sor·tied, sor·tie·ing.

1. to go on a sortie; sally forth.

sortie

/ ˈsɔːtɪ /

noun

1. 1. (of troops, etc) the act of emerging from a contained or besieged position
   2. the troops doing this
2. an operational flight made by one aircraft
3. a short or relatively short return trip

verb

1. intr to make a sortie

Word History and Origins

Origin of sortie¹

1680–90; < French, noun use of feminine past participle of sortir to go out

Word History and Origins

Origin of sortie¹

C17: from French: a going out, from sortir to go out

Example Sentences

The first aerial sorties went up at midnight on Bastille Day, July 14.

From Los Angeles Times

Think of Operation Ocean Venture of the 1980s: U.S. air sorties deep into Russia from carriers improbably parked in icy Norwegian fjords ultimately convinced the Soviet top brass they could not stop us.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, the air force is conducting sorties to identify areas with survivors and distribute relief material.

From BBC

The tempo of operations on the aircraft carrier itself has also been unrelenting - with dozens of sorties being flown round the clock.

From BBC

Russian air bases in Crimea also have remained operational, hosting warplanes that have continued flying combat sorties to support its ground operations in the region.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• raid