holding pattern

See synonyms for holding pattern on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a traffic pattern for aircraft at a specified location (holding 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.

Origin of holding pattern

1
First recorded in 1950–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use holding pattern in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for holding pattern

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