crash-land

American

[krash-land] / ˈkræʃˈlænd /

verb (used with object)

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

verb (used without object)

to crash-land an aircraft.

crash-land British

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

crash-landing noun

Etymology

Origin of crash-land

First recorded in 1940–45; crash ¹ + land

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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 • Feb. 7, 2025

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 • Mar. 6, 2024

Both characters are humanoids from faraway planets who crash-land on Earth.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2023

The heavy-lift Il-76 cargo plane went down in the Ryazan region after having an engine problem that forced the crew of 10 to crash-land.

From Washington Post • Jun. 24, 2022

He hatched a scheme to fly a small airplane to Tibet, crash-land it on the flanks of Everest, and proceed to the summit from there.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023