Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

airlift

/ˈɛə.lɪft/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: air-lift
IPA: /ˈɛə.lɪft/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The transportation of troops, civilians or supplies by air, especially in an emergency.

noun

Such a flight.

noun

A pipe that is used to suck up objects from the sea bed.

verb

To transport (supplies, troops, etc) in an airlift.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The mountaineer who fell down a crevasse had to be airlifted out."
"Emergency food and bottled water were airlifted into the earthquake zone."
"My Pelicans are going to start airlifting armor and reinforcements into the city."

Etymology

From air + lift; compare sealift.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈɛə.lɪft/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

airlifts (plural) airlifts (present, singular) airlifting (participle, present) airlifted (participle, past) airlifted (past)

Derived Forms

airlifter

Phrases

non-forecast airlift

Frequently Paired Words

sealift airdrop

Synonyms

lift

Questions

How do you pronounce airlift?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛə.lɪft/.
What does airlift mean?: The transportation of troops, civilians or supplies by air, especially in an emergency.
Where does airlift come from?: From air + lift; compare sealift.

How to pronounce airlift

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “airlift”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛə.lɪft/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “airlift”.
Repeat and practice — Say “airlift” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.