touching down

present participle of touch down
as in perching
to come to rest after descending from the air the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 touching 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 For its fifth installment, Vogue World is making an international voyage to Italy, touching down in Milan today, Tuesday, September 22—the first day of Milan Fashion Week. — Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2026 Fifteen seconds after touching down, one of the pilots called for aborting the landing and the engine throttles were increased to a value consistent with go-around thrust, the NTSB said. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 Video of Sunday’s landing appears to show the Boeing 767 remaining airborne well down the runway before touching down. — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Akiyama landed back on Earth on December 10, 1990, touching down on the steppe of Kazakhstan with cosmonauts Gennadi Manakov and Gennady Strekalov on board Soyuz TM-10. — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026 Soar over the landscape by helicopter, touching down in some of the country’s most secluded locations, with not another soul in sight. — Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026 Former President Barack Obama will be touching down in New York next month to headline an event alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, reports say. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Prior to touching down in Canada, Perry had been performing Down Under for an extended run. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touching down
Verb
  • The bird, which some witnesses guessed was a parrot, was seen perching on people’s heads and line dividers, landing on luggage and carry-on bags and even trying to nip at some travelers.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2026
  • No club have spent more time perching on the highest rung of English football than Everton.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • New York landing Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker — who has emerged as the draft’s top quarterback prospect — would be a painful blow to Miami, though the Jets have a long tradition of screwing up young QBs.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
  • China’s program has been largely opaque NASA has set a target of landing humans on the Moon by 2028, a year or so ahead of China.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The cigars are so good that Eric, Carole’s emotional support gay, and Preston, Erin’s emotional support gay, are lighting their cigars in the same flame.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Swap the throw pillows, drape a blanket over worn spots, add a slipcover or washable topper and change out the rug, curtains or lighting around it.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Touching down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touching%20down. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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