Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - sortie

~1 n 1 an attack in which an army leaves its position for a short time to attack the enemy 2 a short flight made by a plane over enemy land, in order to bomb a city, military defences etc  (flying sorties into the Pacific war zone) 3 a short trip, especially to an unfamiliar place  (We made a sortie from our hotel to the open-air market.) 4 an attempt at doing something  (The article marked my first sortie into print.) ~2 v to make a short attack on an enemy's position or a flight over enemy land