boatlift

American  

[boht-lift] / ˈboʊtˌlɪft /

noun

1. an operation in which large numbers of people or vast quantities of supplies are transported by ships or boats in an emergency.

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Etymology

Origin of boatlift

boat + lift, perhaps modeled on airlift

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boatlift

The U.S. is wary of the prospect of a humanitarian crisis on the island, which risks fueling a U.S.-bound exodus, as happened with the Mariel boatlift in 1980.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Another formative experience was watching protesters target colonial buildings during the turmoil of the Mariel boatlift, a massive migration of Cubans to Florida in 1980.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2023

Garcia said that can last for the rest of their lives; some Cubans who came in the 1980 Mariel boatlift still are designated “expedited for removal.”

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

Even for a nation known for mass exodus, the current wave is remarkable — larger than the 1980 Mariel boatlift and the 1994 Cuban rafter crisis combined, until recently the island’s two biggest migration events.

From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2022

When Nunez saw the migrant vessel from his dock, it brought back memories of his own journey to the U.S. from Cuba in 1980, as part of the Mariel boatlift.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2022