holding pattern

noun

1

: the usually oval course flown (as over an airport) by aircraft awaiting clearance especially to land

2

: a state of waiting or suspended activity or progress

Synonyms

• abeyance
• cold storage
• deep freeze
• doldrums
• dormancy
• latency
• moratorium
• quiescence
• suspended animation
• suspense
• suspension

Examples of holding pattern in a Sentence

Our plane was in a holding pattern for almost an hour because of the fog.

repair work on the bridge was in a holding pattern for the duration of the winter

Recent Examples on the Web

But first up on the witness stand was John Idol, CEO of Capri Holdings, who made clear the struggling Michael Kors brand and Capri, which is itself in a kind of holding pattern pending the deal’s closure, can’t afford to wait for the case to wind through the legal system. —Evan Clark, WWD, 9 Sep. 2024

If DeRozan took that, Miami would be just below the second apron and would not be able to re-sign Caleb Martin or Haywood Highsmith, who remain in a holding pattern while both those players and the Heat explore all their options. —Barry Jackson and, Miami Herald, 2 July 2024

Just minutes after departure, the A350 aircraft entered a holding pattern just south of Hong Kong before returning to the airport a short while later, according to FlightRadar. —Kristine Gill, Fortune Asia, 3 Sep. 2024

Like me, Mirch repeated the entire process, got the same result the second time around, and was in a DMV online holding pattern for 45 minutes, waiting for help. —Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1952, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

holding pattern

noun

1

: the course flown (as over an airport) by an aircraft waiting for permission to land

2

: a state of waiting or suspended activity

the project is in a holding pattern