Showing results for "landing"

• present participle of land.

landing

American  

[lan-ding] / ˈlæn dɪŋ /

noun

• landings
  plural

1. the act of a person or thing that lands.

   The pilot brought his plane in for a landing.

2. a place where persons or goods are landed, as from a ship.

   The boat moored at the landing.

3. Architecture.

   1. a platform between flights of stairs.

   2. the floor at the head or foot of a flight of stairs.

4. Shipbuilding.

   1. the overlap of two plates or planks, as in a clinker-built shell.

   2. 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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landing British  

/ ˈlændɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of coming to land, esp after a flight or sea voyage

   2. ( as modifier )

      landing place

2. a place of disembarkation

3. the floor area at the top of a flight of stairs or between two flights of stairs

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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

• postlanding
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• landings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of landing

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at land, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landing landings

Alcott explained that she initially went back to jump again after her difficult landing, out of "embarassment" and "just so I wasn't making a big deal out of it".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

In 2000, then-President Bill Clinton flew to India from Pakistan in an unmarked plane, landing shortly after the traditional Air Force One jet landed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

He pitched sideways, practically clearing the first set of steps and landing on the second flight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

He was seen as largely responsible for China's "soft landing" -- reducing inflation without causing a recession -- after it experienced runaway growth following Deng's renewed push to open up in the 1990s.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

The revised plan called for a quieter landing, at night without air cover, at a rural spot on the southern coast called Bahía de Cochinos.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

In Robert Capa’s photograph of GIs on the USS Samuel Chase just before the D-Day landings, soldiers play craps with French banknotes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The creation of the unit was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron alongside Zelensky on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2024.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

The rest of the company’s dreams are more moonshine than moon landings.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

Teams also closely monitored how the X-59 performed during takeoffs, landings, and flight operations.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

“Come whenever you feel like it Be careful; the stairs and landings are dark; don’t stumble.”

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

Related Words

• dock