holding patternnoun [ C ]
a route followed by a plane above an airport while it waits to land:
We were kept in a holding pattern for 45 minutes at Heathrow.
in a holding pattern
temporarily unable to act because you are waiting for something to happen or be decided:
We're in a holding pattern while we wait for City Council approval.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Air travel: aviation
- aerial
- aero-
- Air Miles
- air-dash
- airlift
- airspeed
- baggage allowance
- bail
- bank
- bomber
- buzz
- crash-land
- FAA
- flight
- flight simulator
- fly
- lane
- slipstream
- throttle
- throttle (sth) back/down
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Air travel: travelling by aircraft
Waiting
Preventing and impeding