1. An attack made by a small military force into enemy territory: Jim was part of the sortie that assaulted the opponents from a besieged position.
2. A mission flown by a combat military aircraft: A sortie is the flight of a combat plane on a military assignment.
3. An armed attacks: The dangerous sortie was made from a place surrounded by enemy forces.
4. A brief trip away from home: Jack and Jill decided to go on a sortie and experience adventures in an unfamiliar place.
5. Etymology: "attack of the besieged upon the besiegers"; from French sortie; literally, "a going out", noun use of the past participle verb form of sortir, "go out", from Old French, "to go out, to escape"; from Latin surgere, "to rise up" which is from "fountain, stream" and from sub, "up from below" + regere, "to keep straight, to guide".

1. To strike or raid against an enemy position: The army sortied against enemy forces with their aircraft.
2. To come out from a defensive position to make an attack: The special forces are currently sortieing terrorist forces in the mountains."
3. To take a short journey to a place where people have not been before, often with a particular purpose: Lynn sortied into the new fitness studio to see what the trainers have to offer.

During Tom's vacation in the national park, he sortied into the various attractive areas that were available there.