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 the U.S. economy avoided a downturn—one of the few times the Fed has achieved a so-called soft landing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

It decelerates the vehicle from about 350 miles per hour to about 17 miles per hour for a nice soft landing for the crew in the Pacific Ocean.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

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

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 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

Call me gutless, but what I was looking for this time around was a comfortable correspondence between income and rent, a few mild adventures, a soft landing.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich