touch down

verb

Definition of touch downnext
as in to perch
to come to rest after descending from the air the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of touch down The adventure began with the helicopter soaring over breathtaking landscapes of alpine peaks and turquoise waters, before touching down at the bay. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026 This will be the first time the traveling ceremony format will touch down in Milan. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 Once there, the MBR Explorer will orbit 269 Justitia for seven months before releasing a lander that will attempt to touch down on the space rock to analyze its composition. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026 Flying experts say pilots are not expected to touch down exactly at the threshold, but should be within a couple of hundred feet. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for touch down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch down
  1. perch
  2. land
  3. light
Verb
  • The urban retreat will be perched in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur (in the Golden Triangle District, a cultural hot spot in the metropolis) and will be home to only suites—268, to be exact.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That area is itself two levels, with a dining room perched over a sunken living area with a massive fireplace whose stones Jaffe hand-selected from a Tennessee quarry.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of perch
Verb
  • The command link subsequently failed, and the drone drifted approximately 630 meters over a populated area before landing in a tree.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The studio fussiness is why Fagen’s music would later go in and out of style—when raw sounds are in fashion, people tend to point out where his band’s singles landed on the Easy Listening charts.
    — Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of land
Verb
  • Thank you very much for waking me up and lighting a fire under me.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The cake, decorated with yellow frosting and a white horse at the center and lit with 31 long candles, is seen on a table at the birthday celebrations.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of light

Browse Nearby Words

touch base (with)
touch down
touched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Touch down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20down. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of defer

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All