landing

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

Synonyms of landing

• dock
• wharf
• pier

Examples of landing in a Sentence

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

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a small plane on a training flight that made an emergency landing on a Florida interstate Monday morning, narrowly missing highway signs and vehicles. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Two firefighters in the second helicopter survived after making an emergency landing and are currently in the hospital. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026

Both aircraft use Jaunt’s Slowed-Rotor Compound configuration, which shifts more lift to the wing during forward flight to improve cruise efficiency while retaining vertical takeoff and landing capability. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026

After being gently placed at the landing area, the horse was back up and standing within 15 minutes, and it was loaded into a trailer to be driven home. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landing

• dead-stick landing
• instrument landing
• landing craft
• landing field
• landing gear
• 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)