airlift

[air-lift]

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noun Also air lift.

a system for transporting persons or cargo by aircraft, especially in an emergency.

the persons or cargo so transported.

the act or process of transporting such a load.

a pump for raising liquids by the pressure of air forced into the pump chamber.

verb (used with object)

to transport (persons or cargo) by airlift.

adjective

of or relating to an airlift or airlifts: to increase the army's airlift capacity.

Origin of airlift

First recorded in 1940–45; air¹ + lift

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for airlift

fly, airdrop

Examples from the Web for airlift

Contemporary Examples of airlift

“Air refueling and airlift assets were the literal pinch I am describing here,” the official said.
First U.S. Stealth Jet Attack on Syria Cost More Than Indian Mission to Mars
Dave Majumdar
September 24, 2014
So after a year of record killings, an ambitious rescue effort is underway to airlift the great beasts to safety.
South Africa’s Great Rhino Airlift
Nina Strochlic
August 17, 2014
That was when “instinct kicked in,” said Chief Master Sergeant James Ross, a friend and fellow airman from the 152nd Airlift Wing.
Nevada Teacher Mike Landsberry Survived War. He Was Killed in Class.
Jacob Siegel
October 23, 2013
"We don't have any trains or direct buses," said U.S. Marshal Pickering as he explained the airlift procedure.
Madoff Secretary Annette Bongiorno Jailed Over Ponzi Millions
Allan Dodds Frank
December 21, 2010

Historical Examples of airlift

An airlift of supplies dropped by parachute was being organized.
Prologue to an Analogue
Leigh Richmond
The Soviet effort to capture Berlin by blockade was thwarted by the courageous Allied airlift.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
It looked as helpless as isolated Berlin did before the first airlift proved what men and planes could do in the way of transport.
Space Tug
Murray Leinster
How long do you think it'd take, with the equipment you have, to airlift all of Jonkvank's loyal troops into the city?
Ullr Uprising
Henry Beam Piper
The need to respond on a moment's notice adds to the value of airlift and prepositioned ships.
Shock and Awe
Harlan K. Ullman

British Dictionary definitions for airlift

airlift

noun

the transportation by air of passengers, troops, cargo, etc, esp when other routes are blocked

verb

(tr) to transport by an airlift

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

Word Origin and History for airlift

also air-lift, 1893 as a type of pumping device; 1945 in the sense "transportation of supplies by air," from air (n.1) + lift (n.). As a verb by 1949; popularized in reference to the response to the West Berlin blockade. Related: Air-lifted; air-lifting.