landing

American  

[lan-ding] / ˈlæn dɪŋ /

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.

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landing British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• postlanding adjective

Etymology

Origin of landing

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

Example Sentences

Flight tracking websites showed US special operations aircraft landing at Wick John O'Groats before flying further north towards Iceland on Wednesday.

From BBC

Baltimore is now headed for a reset, and Jackson’s presence makes the coaching job a hot landing spot—but one that could also give some candidates pause.

From The Wall Street Journal

But much as he loves the fountain, Edén doesn’t see it landing in Malmö.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet while soft tissue usually rots away, the lack of oxygen caused by the manner of the shark's death and more mud landing on top preserved the fish.

From BBC

Strategists like Dario Perkins of TS Lombard argue that markets remain positioned for a benign “soft landing,” even as the conditions for a more forceful reflation are quietly falling into place.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dock