landing

American  

[lan-ding] / ˈlæn dɪŋ /

noun

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

Etymology

Origin of landing

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

Example Sentences

Wednesday’s live-fire exercise marked the first time the Taiwanese military has tested the system off a beach at a location deemed a potential landing point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

The Artemis 3 mission sets the stage for two Moon landing attempts by NASA, which are slated for 2028.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

And the first lunar landing now depends on a sequence of things that have never been done before all going right in the right order.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

And Zac Efron’s brother Dylan, who won Season 3 with Windey, followed up “The Traitors” by placing fourth on “Dancing With the Stars” and landing brand deals of his own with the likes of Kohl’s.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

His stomach swooped, and he momentarily lost his sense of direction, before finding it by landing hard on his back.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• dock