landing

1 of 2

noun

land·​ing ˈlan-diŋ 

1

: an act or process of one that lands

especially : a going or bringing to a surface (such as land or shore) after a voyage or flight

2

: a place for discharging and taking on passengers and cargo

3

: a level part of a staircase (as at the end of a flight of stairs)

4

landings plural : the amount of fish or shellfish landed annually in a particular area

landing

2 of 2

present participle of land entry 2

Synonyms of landing

Noun

• dock
• wharf
• pier

Examples of landing in a Sentence

Noun

The plane made a smooth landing.

The helicopter had to make an emergency landing.

The pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings.

Landing in high winds can be dangerous.

Our plane was cleared for landing.

We stopped to rest at the first floor landing.

I waited at the landing for the ferry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after passengers stormed the cockpit and wrenched back controlfrom the attacker, who Israeli officials suspect was trying to crash the plane. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026

But in July, Saudi Arabia attacked the airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, to prevent the landing of an Iranian plane carrying high-ranking Houthi officials. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

HamasIranISISNorth KoreaRussia 4 of 11 The co-pilot on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv stabbed the pilot, forcing passengers and the crew to rush the cockpit and make an emergency landing. — New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

The primary structural hinges are reused, but the aluminum honeycomb crush pods located at the connection joints of the landing legs must be replaced with each launch. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landing

• dead-stick landing
• instrument landing
• landing craft
• landing field
• landing gear
• landing page
• landing strip
• moon landing
• pancake landing
• three-point landing

Rhymes for landing

• banding
• branding
• handing
• sanding
• standing
• stranding
• commanding
• demanding
• disbanding
• expanding
• freestanding
• misbranding

Kids Definition

landing

noun

land·​ing ˈlan-diŋ 

1

: the action of one that lands

2

: a place (as a wharf) for unloading or taking on passengers and cargo

3

: the level part of a staircase (as between flights of stairs)