n. An offensive military mission. Used originally to mean an attack from a fortress, but most commonly used today to describe a single mission by a military aircraft.
v. To sally.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. The sudden issuing of a body of troops, usually small, from a besieged place to attack or harass the besiegers; a sally.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A going forth; a sally; specifically, the issuing of a body of troops from a besieged place to attack the besiegers; an outrush of a beleaguered garrison.
n. Same as postlude.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
n. (military) an operational flight by a single aircraft (as in a military operation)
Word Usage
"For the military, the cost of a sortie is critical."