51Թ

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View synonyms for

holding pattern

noun

  1. a traffic pattern for aircraft at a specified location holding point where they are ordered to remain until permitted to land or proceed.
  2. a state or period in which no progress or change is made or planned.


holding pattern

noun

  1. the oval or circular path of an aircraft flying around an airport awaiting permission to land
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of holding pattern1

First recorded in 1950–55
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

When lockdowns forced our regular routines into a holding pattern, workdays and weekends slid together.

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The Oscars ceremony was far less surprising than the nominated films, creating a dissonance between forward-thinking filmmaking and an honorary institution stuck in a holding pattern.

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That's a word I hear often from activists: they describe Russian opposition forces in a kind of holding pattern.

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The Nome volunteer fire department said the pilot had told air traffic controllers that "he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared".

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The volunteer fire department in the landing city Nome said the pilot had told air traffic controllers that "he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared".

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