landing

[lan-ding]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that lands.

   The pilot brought his plane in for a landing.

2. a place where persons or goods are landed, as from a ship.

   The boat moored at the landing.

3. Architecture.

   1. a platform between flights of stairs.

   2. the floor at the head or foot of a flight of stairs.

4. Shipbuilding.

   1. the overlap of two plates or planks, as in a clinker-built shell.

   2. the distance between the center of a rivet hole and the edge of the plate or shape into which it is cut.

landing

/ ˈlændɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of coming to land, esp after a flight or sea voyage

   2. ( as modifier )

      landing place

2. a place of disembarkation

3. the floor area at the top of a flight of stairs or between two flights of stairs

Other Word Forms

• postlanding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of landing¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; land, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Skipper eventually found a landing spot on Foster’s staff.

From Los Angeles Times

One woman fell during the chaos, landing on a ledge on the north side of the dome, where she would eventually have to be rescued by helicopter.

From Los Angeles Times

Briton Caudery, the 2024 world indoor champion, rolled her ankle in the warm-up after she planted her left foot into the landing mat after a run-through.

From BBC

But it was Rowland who caught the eye, scoring 27 points - a Women's Rugby World Cup record for a player in a single match - landing 11 out of 14 conversions and crossing for a try.

From BBC

A pilot and co-pilot have tested positive for alcohol after the plane they were operating veered off the runway when landing in Nigeria.

From BBC

Related Words

• dock 

When To Use

What does landing mean?

Landing is the act of returning to the ground after having been in flight or up in the air. It can also be used to refer to the act of returning to the land after having been in water.Landing also commonly refers to an instance of doing this. This especially involves aircraft, as in That was a rough landing. But it can also be applied to a person, as in She’ll have to stick the landing if she wants a perfect score. Landing can also mean a place where ships can dock.It can also refer to the floor at the top of a flight of stairs or the platform between two flights of stairs. The landing often has a bigger surface area than the steps and is usually positioned between flights when they change directions.The word landing comes is also the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb land, as in We will be landing shortly.Example: I’m much more nervous during the landing than at takeoff.