sortie

noun

sor·​tie ˈsȯr-tē How to pronounce sortie (audio)
sȯr-ˈtē
Synonyms of sortienext
1
: a sudden issuing of troops from a defensive position against the enemy
2
: one mission or attack by a single plane
3
a
: foray, raid
b
: excursion, expedition
diving sorties
sortie intransitive verb
sortied; sortieing

Examples of sortie in a Sentence

an occasional sortie to the city to rummage through some of its numerous used-book stores
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Reuters — Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Saturday to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian countries that has included fighter-jet sorties, exchange of rocket fire and artillery barrages. CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025 In Ukraine, its 30 operators regularly travel between cities to support mission planning, monitor sorties, and troubleshoot in real time to adapt to new threats and feed lessons learned back into the V-BAT. Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025 British Typhoons carried out their first Eastern Sentry sortie on September 21. Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025 Last year, Taiwan detected 5,105 Chinese sorties into its airspace. Zack Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sortie

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from sortir to go out, leave

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sortie was in 1778

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sortie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sortie. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

sortie

noun
sor·​tie ˈsȯrt-ē How to pronounce sortie (audio)
sȯr-ˈtē
: a sudden rushing out of troops from a position of defense against the enemy : sally
sortie verb

More from Merriam-Webster on sortie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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