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

Odysseus was the first privately funded lander to make a soft landing on the lunar surface.

From Barron's

At the beginning of the year, it looked as if the Federal Reserve had managed to put the U.S. economy back on a track toward a soft landing, with the labor market stabilizing and high inflation slowly cooling.

From MarketWatch

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

From Salon

I believe that if colleges and universities want to prove that they are serious about confronting abuses of power within their ranks, they must show that prestige does not entitle anyone, however accomplished, to a soft landing.

From Salon

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

From The Wall Street Journal