sortie
/sɔʁ.ti/feminine
The French word sortie means an operational flight carried out by a single military aircraft.
In a military context, a sortie refers to a single operational flight.
Meaning: operational flight carried out by a single military aircraft (noun)
Which one should you use?
The singular feminine noun sortie refers to a single flight. The plural forms include les sorties (the outings) and plusieurs sorties (several outings).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a feminine noun. For plural usage, you can use les sorties for 'the outings' or plusieurs sorties for 'several outings'.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɔʁ.ti/
Did you know?
- The word comes from the Latin sortīrī, meaning 'to cast lots' or 'divide', and was possibly influenced by surgō, meaning 'to arise'.
- In French football, a sortie is the specific move a goalkeeper makes when they leave their goal area to intercept a ball or challenge an opponent.
- While English uses sortie almost exclusively for military missions, French uses it for any 'going out', such as a casual social outing with friends.
Examples in context
- Merci de ne pas obstruer la sortie.Please do not block the exit.
- On fait une sortie en ville ce soir?Are we going out into town tonight?
- Une sortie au restaurantA trip to the restaurant
- Une sortie au cinémaA trip to the cinema
- La sortie de l'avion a été annulée.The aircraft's sortie was cancelled.
- Il a effectué une sortie de reconnaissance.He carried out a reconnaissance sortie.
- Chaque sortie coûte très cher à l'armée.Every sortie is very expensive for the army.
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are discussing military operations at a base.
- NathanCombien de sorties a-t-il effectuées aujourd'hui ?How many sorties has he completed today?
- EmmaIl a fait seulement une sortie ce matin.He only did one sortie this morning.
- NathanC'est étrange pour un pilote expérimenté.That is strange for an experienced pilot.
- EmmaIl est très fatigué après sa mission.He is very tired after his mission.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sortie” translations and entries sortie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sortie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
