splashdown

noun

splash·​down ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n 

plural splashdowns

: the landing of a crewed spacecraft in the ocean

splash down intransitive verb

Examples of splashdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The other goal left incomplete on Starship’s last flight involved the splashdown of the rocket’s Super Heavy booster, or first stage, which lost control moments after separating from the ship, or upper stage, a few minutes after liftoff. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026

For Flight 13, Super Heavy's main objectives will be the successful launch and separation from the Ship upper stage, a complete boostback burn and a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 July 2026

There will be exhibits, a presentation about the Apollo 11 Command Module and space expert Bill Miklos with a presentation about the astronauts’ splashdown and recovery. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 13 July 2026

After splashdown, SpaceX will attempt to recover the capsule, if possible. — David Szondy june 22, New Atlas, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for splashdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

splashdown

noun

splash·​down ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n 

: the landing of a spacecraft in the ocean