airlift

[air-lift]

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.

verb (used with object)

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

/ ˈɛəˌlɪft /

noun

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

verb

1. (tr) to transport by an airlift

Word History and Origins

Origin of airlift¹

First recorded in 1940–45; air ¹ + lift

Example Sentences

The 40-year-old Briton was airlifted to hospital after sustaining five broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a lumbar vertebrae fracture in the training crash.

From BBC

There were 90 helicopter flights on Monday to airlift survivors out of remote villages in Kunar province.

From BBC

He says government helicopters arrived in the morning and airlifted the injured from the mountains down to the main Kunar highway, where they were transferred by vehicles to clinics.

From BBC

The parents then drove themselves to the campground’s medical facility before being airlifted to a major hospital where the baby could receive specialized intensive care, the Redditor said.

From Los Angeles Times

The 40-year-old Briton was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday after sustaining five broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a lumbar vertebrae fracture in the training crash in southern France.

From BBC

Related Words

• airdrop 
• fly