soft landing
Americannoun
noun
-
a landing by a spacecraft on the moon or a planet at a sufficiently low velocity for the equipment or occupants to remain unharmed
-
a decrease in demand that does not result in a country's economy falling into recession
Etymology
Origin of soft landing
First recorded in 1960–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Falling from office after the British surrender at Yorktown, he had a soft landing in the House of Lords as 1st Viscount Sackville.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Back in 2022, when the labor market was much stronger, a soft landing was achievable.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 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
But much more importantly, it means a precision soft landing can be done remotely by a pilot in orbit.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
