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Glite Dictionary
airplane landing

airplane landing

1 2.2
Bringing a plane safely down at the end of a flight
  • noun
  • /ˈɛrˌpleɪn ˈlændɪŋ/
  • US
: 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
422 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
12 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
1 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
70 2.8

The moment an airplane leaves the ground and begins to fly

How Safe

airplane landing
  • US
1 2.2
to land hard
5 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'.