sortie

American  

[sawr-tee] / ˈsɔr ti /

noun

1. a rapid movement of troops from a besieged place to attack the besiegers.

2. a body of troops involved in such a movement.

3. the flying of an airplane on a combat mission.

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verb (used without object)

sorties, present (3rd person singular) sortied, past participle, past sortieing present participle

1. to go on a sortie; sally forth.

sortie British  

/ ˈsɔːtɪ /

noun

1. 1. (of troops, etc) the act of emerging from a contained or besieged position

   2. the troops doing this

2. an operational flight made by one aircraft

3. a short or relatively short return trip

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verb

1. (intr) to make a sortie

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• sortieing
  present
• sortied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sortie
  simple
• sorties
  simple
• have sortied
  perfect
• has sortied
  perfect
• am sortieing
  progressive
• are sortieing
  progressive
• is sortieing
  progressive
• have been sortieing
  perfect progressive
• has been sortieing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sortied
  simple
• had sortied
  perfect
• was sortieing
  progressive
• were sortieing
  progressive
• had been sortieing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sortie
  simple
• will have sortied
  perfect
• will be sortieing
  progressive
• will have been sortieing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sortie

1680–90; < French, noun use of feminine past participle of sortir to go out

Explanation

When a group of soldiers is sent on a specific mission, it's called a sortie. A fighter pilot's sortie might involve a mission to drop a bomb on a target and return to base. When a fighting unit is deployed, heading out on a military mission, you can describe it as a sortie. A sortie might involve troops moving across a field toward their enemy, or a tank advancing on a city held by rebels. Sometimes a sortie involves a sudden surge or attack. In French, the word sortie literally means "a going out," from a Latin root, surgere, or "rise up."

Example Sentences

Turk’s bad back makes it a brief sortie, but the attempt confirms that their friendship remains fundamentally intact.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

Air-superiority missions, for instance, would require them to sortie and remain “on station” in Taiwan’s vicinity for a time before returning, which isn’t viable from Guam, Heginbotham said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

The RAF confirmed "a pylon" had detached itself from the RAF Coningsby-based Typhoon jet in Haisthorpe, near Bridlington, during a sortie on 18 January.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2025

But this time the Russian plane wasn’t on a bombing sortie.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

Went cycling with Amélie and Mitraillette, my first sortie looking for landing fields—three girls on bicycles, you know, having a jolly afternoon out together, what could be more normal?

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• raid