holding pattern

American  

noun

1. a traffic pattern for aircraft at a specified location holding point where they are ordered to remain until permitted to land or proceed.

2. a state or period in which no progress or change is made or planned.

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holding pattern British  

noun

1. the oval or circular path of an aircraft flying around an airport awaiting permission to land

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Etymology

Origin of holding pattern

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

holding pattern

Fulham are now very much in a Premier League holding pattern.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

For now, prices are “in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the extra reserves pumped into the market run out before the patience of the warring parties,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026

U.S. rates markets were moving from acute escalation risk toward a cautious holding pattern after the U.S.-Iran cease-fire, but confidence in durability remains limited, the strategists said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

The Flightradar24 tracking website earlier showed planes circling above the airport in an apparent holding pattern.

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

It wasn’t until the third holding pattern southwest of Kennedy Airport that Klotz told ATC that he didn’t think the plane had enough fuel to reach an alternative airport.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell