- present participle of land.
landing
Americannoun
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the act of a person or thing that lands.
The pilot brought his plane in for a landing.
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a place where persons or goods are landed, as from a ship.
The boat moored at the landing.
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Architecture.
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a platform between flights of stairs.
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the floor at the head or foot of a flight of stairs.
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Shipbuilding.
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the overlap of two plates or planks, as in a clinker-built shell.
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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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noun
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the act of coming to land, esp after a flight or sea voyage
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( as modifier )
landing place
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a place of disembarkation
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the floor area at the top of a flight of stairs or between two flights of stairs
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of landing
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at land, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing landing
"Mother to Son"
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"Mother to Son"
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 3
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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.
"So make sure you've studied the situation in the landing zone meticulously in advance."
From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026
From the Apollo 11 moon landing to the miniseries ‘Roots,’ the small screen has often united the country by bringing history into every living room.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
US helicopters have been ferrying in aid and US Marines have used a landing craft to deliver supplies from the USS Fort Lauderdale, an amphibious transport dock ship docked at La Guaira.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
The pair will remain nearby for weeks until they master flying and, equally important, landing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026
The owl stared at her long and hard before at last opening its wings and, with an impatient flutter, landing beside her on the sill.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
