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Glite Dictionary
airplane landing

airplane landing

2.2
Bringing a plane safely down at the end of a flight
  • noun
  • /ˈɛrˌpleɪn ˈlændɪŋ/
  • US
translation icon : aterrizaje de avión
  • Passengers clapped in excitement after a smooth airplane landing at their destination.

Examples

  • [ Airplanes Landing ]

    Battle Hymn (1957)

  • Well, how about an airplane landing?

    My Man Godfrey (1936)

  • The pilot announced that the airplane landing would begin shortly as we approached the airport.

  • We watched the airplane landing from the observation deck as it touched down on the runway.

Synonyms

landing
vsairplane landing
351 2.3

Coming down to a surface from the air or sea

is limited to descending from the air to the ground at flight end
touchdown
vsairplane landing
  • Specialized
15 4.1

The moment a plane's wheels touch the runway when it lands

refers to the entire process of bringing an air vehicle down safely
aircraft landing
vsairplane landing
3.4

Bringing an aircraft down to the ground safely

is limited to a single common type of air vehicle rather than all air vehicles

Antonyms

takeoff
80 2.8

The moment an airplane leaves the ground and begins to fly

How Safe

airplane landing
  • US
2.2
to land hard
3 4.6

Surface Forms

airplane landing singular
airplane landings plural
aeroplane landings plural
aeroplane landing singular

Morphology

airplane + landing

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'airplane' (a flying vehicle) with 'landing' (the act of descending onto a surface). This noun–noun composition follows a straightforward compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the phrase refers to the act of an airplane coming down to the ground.

Etymology

Airplane landing paints a simple picture: an airplane slowing down and its wheels touching the ground as it makes a safe landing. So, it means 'bringing an aircraft down to the ground safely'.