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Synonyms

airdrop

American  
[air-drop] / ˈɛərˌdrɒp /

verb (used with object)

airdropped, airdropping

  1. to drop (persons, equipment, etc.) by parachute from an aircraft in flight.

noun

  1. the act or process of airdropping.

airdrop British  
/ ˈɛəˌdrɒp /

noun

  1. a delivery of supplies, troops, etc, from an aircraft by parachute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to deliver (supplies, etc) by an airdrop

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • air-droppable adjective

Etymology

Origin of airdrop

First recorded in 1945–50; air 1 + drop

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“We have to perform the airdrop as a surprise, so people don’t gather below,” Phille said earlier.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2025

The UK has been involved in previous efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza – a method aid agencies have cautioned is an inefficient way to deliver supplies.

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025

The airdrop is one of several events organised to mark the anniversary of Operation Market Garden, an ambitious military offensive designed to speed up the invasion of Nazi Germany and shorten the war in Europe.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2024

It was the 11th American airdrop of aid since the U.S. began the program at the start of March.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024

On May 6,1 set up a base camp on the ice cap just northeast of the Thumb and waited for the airdrop.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.