airlift

American  

[air-lift] / ˈɛərˌlɪft /

noun

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

2. the persons or cargo so transported.

3. the act or process of transporting such a load.

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

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verb (used with object)

airlifts, present (3rd person singular) airlifted, past participle, past airlifting present participle

1. to transport (persons or cargo) by airlift.

adjective

1. of or relating to an airlift or airlifts.

   to increase the army's airlift capacity.

airlift British  

/ ˈɛəˌlɪft /

noun

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

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verb

1. (tr) to transport by an airlift

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• airlifting
  present
• airlifted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• airlift
  simple
• airlifts
  simple
• have airlifted
  perfect
• has airlifted
  perfect
• am airlifting
  progressive
• are airlifting
  progressive
• is airlifting
  progressive
• have been airlifting
  perfect progressive
• has been airlifting
  perfect progressive

Past

• airlifted
  simple
• had airlifted
  perfect
• was airlifting
  progressive
• were airlifting
  progressive
• had been airlifting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will airlift
  simple
• will have airlifted
  perfect
• will be airlifting
  progressive
• will have been airlifting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of airlift

First recorded in 1940–45; air ¹ + lift

Explanation

When a military plane is used to deliver supplies or move people, it's called an airlift. After a major earthquake, airlifts can bring in clean water and food to people in the affected area. Whether they're removing citizens from dangerous situations or providing aid to victims of natural disasters, airlifts are useful in an emergency. Enormous military aircraft can hold a large quantity of supplies and deliver them quickly, even at great distances. As a verb, airlift means "fly to safety," so a government might airlift its embassy workers out of a country where war has suddenly broken out.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

airlift airlifts airlifted airlifting

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged a “whole-of-government” response, and the U.S. has committed $150 million in aid, dispatched disaster-response and urban search-and-rescue teams, and mobilized military airlift and logistics support.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

On Thursday the US Air Force confirmed to AFP that the Qatari plane, known as the VC-25B Bridge aircraft, "will soon join the active executive airlift fleet alongside the VC-25A and C-32."

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Lakpa Sherpa, an expedition operator and veteran climber, said airlift technology was used to support rope-fixing teams by delivering ropes, ladders, snow bars and food during critical phases.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

We were running this airlift, like small propeller planes with eight seats, trying to get more than 100 people back to the mainland before twilight hits because they don’t have lighting on the runway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

After the supplies were rigged for an airlift, Oshiro and Big Jim would head out in the chopper to the camps.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

The Himalayan nation, home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks including Everest, attracts thousands of trekkers each year, many walking remote high-altitude trails where emergency airlifts are costly.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

"There are no aid planes, no humanitarian airlifts, no real international movement and no ground efforts to break the siege."

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025

The base is supplied weekly by the Canadian Air Force, and twice a year with bigger airlifts of fuel and cargo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025

Chau airlifts Elizabeth and Darcy from early 19th century England and sets them down in New York’s Chinatown in the early 2000s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2023

In addition to outright     warfare, the strife has included interdiction of Armenian imports on the     Azerbaijani railroads and expensive airlifts of supplies to beleagured     Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

From The 1992 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

An 11-year-old girl was airlifted to a hospital with a broken leg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Although frostbitten and thoroughly spent, Hillary Dawa could still sit upright and talk to those who found him, before he was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Annie was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital, where Cai said he held her hand in her final moments.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

He was airlifted to the Cleveland Clinic’s main hospital, where doctors performed an emergency procedure to remove blood clots from his arteries and heart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

“They airlifted him over to Children’s Hospital down in D.C.,”

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

The government has begun airlifting meat and vegetables from the eastern agricultural heartland of Santa Cruz and central city of Cochabamba to try alleviate the shortages.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Nepal's Department of Tourism says it's exploring different options, including airlifting teams to Camp 2.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

Qatar could draw on its experience of airlifting 4,000 Holstein dairy cows during a 2017 trade blockade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

The plane, an Il-76, was designed decades ago in the Soviet Union to perform military duties such as airlifting troops, cargo and weapons.

From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2024

Mr. Said called 911 and a state park aircrew responded, airlifting the woman and transporting her to a local hospital.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

Related Words

• airdrop
• fly