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

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

Cubans replaced Venezuelans as the second-largest nationality after Mexicans, extending the biggest flight from the Caribbean island to the United States since the Mariel boatlift in 1980.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2022

Martinez’s mother brought him to the United States in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, when he was 9, but avoided telling him that the Cuban authorities were not allowing his father to leave.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2022

Historians say the exodus represents the largest resettling of Cuban migrants to the United States, surpassing even the 150,000 Cubans who fled Fidel Castro’s government during the Mariel boatlift in 1980.

From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2022