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

• excursion
• jaunt
• junket
• outing
• ramble
• sally
• sashay
• spin

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

China has progressively increased the sophistication of these sorties as well as their proximity to Taiwanese territory. —David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024

How many more deep-strike sorties the Ukrainian air force will be able to fly once it’s formed a Mirage 2000 unit could depend more on the supply of missiles than the supply of jets. —David Axe, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

In a set of sorties under cover of darkness, and likely over hostile territories including Syria and Iraq, dozens of Israeli warplanes flew thousands of kilometers. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2024

In French service, the speedy jets strictly fly air-to-air sorties with their pulse-Doppler RDY radars and MICA missiles. —David Axe, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from sortir to go out, leave

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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