landing

noun

land·​ing ˈlan-diŋ How to pronounce landing (audio)
Synonyms of landingnext
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Based on our safety analysis, the FAA lowered the Van Nuys traffic pattern by 200 feet during an evaluation in 2025 to see if that would reduce conflicts with aircraft landing at Burbank. City News Service, Daily News, 29 Jan. 2026 The two-person crew of a NASA plane is safe after the aircraft’s landing gear failed, leading to a fiery belly landing at a Houston airfield on Tuesday. David Matthews, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026 And even SpaceX, which is famously prolific and technically adept in launching people and satellites safely, has had a few hiccups — a tiny handful of Falcon 9 rocket launches or landings have failed over the past decade, requiring investigations that briefly grounded the fleet. Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Pilots on the Mesa Airlines flight decided that the separation between their craft and the one taking off was insufficient and initiated a go-around, in which a landing is aborted. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for landing

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of landing was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Landing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landing. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

landing

noun
land·​ing ˈlan-diŋ How to pronounce landing (audio)
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on landing

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