definitions

holding pattern

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR holding pattern ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a traffic pattern for aircraft at a specified location (holding point) where they are ordered to remain until permitted to land or proceed.
a state or period in which no progress or change is made or planned.

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RELATED WORDS

limbo

Nearby words

holding, holding company, holding furnace, holding operation, holding paddock, holding pattern, holding tank, holdout, holdover, holdup, holdup man

Origin of holding pattern

First recorded in 1950–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for holding pattern

holding pattern

noun

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