soft-land

verb

ˈsȯf(t)-ˈland 

soft-landed; soft-landing; soft-lands

transitive verb

: to cause to make a soft landing on a celestial body (such as the moon)

intransitive verb

: to make a soft landing

soft-lander noun

Examples of soft-land in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scientists have spent decades searching for the final resting place of Luna 9, the first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. — Ilya Ferapontov, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026

No other nation has soft-landed any hardware on the lunar far side. — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2025

The big shift occurred when SpaceX put considerable money and effort into perfecting an innovative system to soft-land the rocket's booster stage for refurbishment and reuse. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 7 June 2025

Pads for patronage College and university campuses are now soft-landing patronage pads for Republican allies, at sky-high salaries. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from soft landing

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for soft-land

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand