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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

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

This was the largest coalition airdrop of the war: 14 aircraft from nine nations delivering 10 tonnes of aid.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

Early on Tuesday, the British government announced that it had carried out its first airdrop of food into Gaza.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2024

Also Thursday, the U.S. conducted a third airdrop in the northern part of Gaza, where there is no Israeli presence.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 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.