as in perching
to come to rest after descending from the air
the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes
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Recent Examples of touching down
During their 2018 trip to Australia, Meghan and Harry arrived to the continent hand-in-hand, touching down after flying in a Qantas private suite to Sydney.
—
Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Instead of touching down on the surface, the four astronauts are due to circle the moon in NASA's Orion capsule before heading back to Earth.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Instead, the mission is designed as a 10‑day lunar flyby, sending its four‑person crew around the Moon and back to Earth without touching down.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The 2026 severe weather season has already proven to be an active one, with tornadoes touching down in Southwest Michigan on March 6.
—Vytas Reid, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
At eight seconds, there was a sound consistent with the plane's landing gear touching down on the runway.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
The French plane departed from Muscat, Oman and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
The French plane departed from Muscat, Oman, and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
—Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
While some agencies dominate headlines with splashy launches, JAXA often works with a quiet precision that suddenly produces something extraordinary — a spacecraft touching down on an asteroid, a lunar lander executing a daring maneuver, or a new instrument revealing the universe in sharper detail.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Instead of touching down on the surface, the four astronauts are due to circle the moon in NASA's Orion capsule before heading back to Earth.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Instead, the mission is designed as a 10‑day lunar flyby, sending its four‑person crew around the Moon and back to Earth without touching down.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The 2026 severe weather season has already proven to be an active one, with tornadoes touching down in Southwest Michigan on March 6.
—Vytas Reid, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
At eight seconds, there was a sound consistent with the plane's landing gear touching down on the runway.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
The French plane departed from Muscat, Oman and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
The French plane departed from Muscat, Oman, and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
—Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
While some agencies dominate headlines with splashy launches, JAXA often works with a quiet precision that suddenly produces something extraordinary — a spacecraft touching down on an asteroid, a lunar lander executing a daring maneuver, or a new instrument revealing the universe in sharper detail.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touching down
Verb
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The rehabilitation team was worried about his hallux, or rear-facing toe, which eagles need for grabbing prey and perching.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Birds need a complete habitat that includes food, shelter, nesting areas and perching spots.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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An Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16, 2026.—
Emma Graham,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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Hamilton described his version as landing somewhere between Senegalese and Ghanaian, cooked in a slurry of roasted red peppers, tomatoes and onions, delicately spiced and with a whisper of smoke.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Create the perfect mood lighting for your backyard living room with these hanging fairy lights.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Delisle pleaded guilty to stabbing his father in April 2025 and lighting the family’s mobile home on fire in the 1000 block of 3rd Street North, according to a judgment of conviction.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touching down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touching%20down. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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