crash-land

American  

[krash-land] / ˈkræʃˈlænd /

verb (used with object)

1. to land (an aircraft), under circumstances in which a normal landing land is impossible, in such a way that damage to the aircraft is unavoidable.

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verb (used without object)

1. to crash-land an aircraft.

crash-land British  

verb

1. to land (an aircraft) in an emergency causing damage or (of an aircraft) to land in this way

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Other Word Forms

• crash-landing noun

Etymology

Origin of crash-land

First recorded in 1940–45; crash ¹ + land

Example Sentences

Nearly five months on, authorities are still studying what may have caused the plane to crash-land at Muan International Airport and then burst into flames.

From BBC

I’m here to tell you how lucky I’ve been for half a century, why I wouldn’t change a thing if someone loaded me into a time machine, and why, even though I’m buckled into a seat on the Hindenburg, I still want to order a few more cocktails before we crash-land.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s a more than 1% chance the asteroid will make its way toward Earth and crash-land on the planet in December 2032.

From Los Angeles Times

Another study showed that a group of frogs called pumpkin toadlets had become so small that the fluid-filled canals in their ears that confer balance no longer functioned properly, causing them to crash-land when jumping.

From Science Daily

The aircraft did manage to crash-land along the highway but slammed into a concrete sound barrier and burst into flames, killing both pilots.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bump
• collapse
• collide
• ditch
• dive
• drop
• hurtle
• meet
• overturn
• plunge
• slip
• smash
• topple
• tumble