Holding Pattern (Noun)
Meaning 1
The flight path (usually circular) maintained by an aircraft that is awaiting permission to land.
Classification
Nouns denoting spatial position.
Examples
- Due to heavy air traffic, the pilot was instructed to enter a holding pattern until further clearance was received.
- Air traffic control ordered the aircraft to assume a holding pattern about 10 miles northwest of the airport while preparing for landing.
- The flight had been circling in the holding pattern for nearly an hour before the pilot received word that the plane was finally cleared to land.
- Once the pilot failed to make contact with the airport's air traffic control, he radioed nearby ground stations and requested information to exit the holding pattern.
- A 10-minute holding pattern led to a 30-minute delay before the plane was allowed to begin its final descent and approach.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
A state of inaction with no progress and no change; "you should go into a holding pattern until he gets over his disappointment".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The company's plans for expansion have been put on indefinite hold, stuck in a holding pattern until the market improves.
- After the project leader left, the team went into a holding pattern, unable to make any significant decisions on their own.
- She's been in a holding pattern for months, waiting for a response to her job application but hearing nothing.
- The negotiations have reached a stalemate, leaving the deal in a holding pattern with no clear resolution in sight.
- The politician's campaign has been in a holding pattern since the scandal broke, with no clear direction or strategy to regain momentum.