soft landing

American  

noun

Economics.

1. a slowing down of economic growth at a manageable rate relative to inflation and unemployment.

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soft landing British  

noun

1. a landing by a spacecraft on the moon or a planet at a sufficiently low velocity for the equipment or occupants to remain unharmed

2. a decrease in demand that does not result in a country's economy falling into recession

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Etymology

Origin of soft landing

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

soft landing

But he was willing to name what he considers his greatest achievement: guiding the economy to a soft landing that virtually no one thought was possible.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

It’s a soft landing for his fall from grace.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026

The economy may have stuck the soft landing, but nobody wants to jinx it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026

The report raised hopes that the U.S. economy may yet pull out a rare soft landing — that is, cutting inflation to the Fed’s 2% annual target while avoiding a recession in doing so.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 16, 2026

I knew it wasn't going to be a soft landing but I hadn't guessed how painful a slam it'd be.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell