: 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
The airlift was conducted via helicopter from the U.S. Embassy.
—
Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2024
For example, on Aug. 13, NBCU Local and Clear the Shelter partners Greater Good Charities, Hill's Pet Nutrition, and The Animal Rescue Site, will conduct a pet airlift to transport over 100 cats and dogs from crowded shelters in Louisiana and Alabama to New Jersey.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2024
North Korea earlier said more than 5,000 people stranded in Sinuiju city and Uiju town were rescued by airlift and other evacuation work after the July 27 rains caused a river on the Chinese border to swell.
—Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2024
But developing the necessary expeditionary capabilities would require drastic investment in areas such as airlift and sealift that most European militaries have long neglected.
—Mark Hannah, The Mercury News, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for airlift 
Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2024
For example, on Aug. 13, NBCU Local and Clear the Shelter partners Greater Good Charities, Hill's Pet Nutrition, and The Animal Rescue Site, will conduct a pet airlift to transport over 100 cats and dogs from crowded shelters in Louisiana and Alabama to New Jersey.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2024
North Korea earlier said more than 5,000 people stranded in Sinuiju city and Uiju town were rescued by airlift and other evacuation work after the July 27 rains caused a river on the Chinese border to swell.
—Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2024
But developing the necessary expeditionary capabilities would require drastic investment in areas such as airlift and sealift that most European militaries have long neglected.
—Mark Hannah, The Mercury News, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for airlift
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'airlift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near airlift
Cite this Entry
“Airlift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airlift. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
airlift
noun
air·lift
ˈa(ə)r-ˌlift 
ˈe(ə)r-
: a system of transporting cargo or passengers by aircraft to or from an area otherwise impossible to reach
airlift
verb
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