landing gear

noun

: the part that supports the weight of an airplane or spacecraft when in contact with the land or water

Examples of landing gear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web However, the biggest chunk of the non-fatal airplane incidents in the region were related to landing gear collapse. Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 For example, if a plane experiences a landing gear failure, the pilots often know well in advance of touchdown. Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 For a runway landing, the vehicle is equipped with a folding wing, tail fins, and aircraft landing gear developed with United Aircraft Corp. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 18 Aug. 2023 The chief of these is the plane’s landing gear, which can be raised or lowered with a twist of the tail cone. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2023 The 282-piece building set even has an opening cockpit, two shooters, and retractable landing gear. Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2023 In 2021 a 26-year-old man from Guatemala was found in a landing gear compartment at Miami International Airport. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2023 Stowaways making it to the U.S. are exceptionally rare and some have done so by clinging to a plane's landing gear in freezing conditions. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2023 So far, three of six jet engines, flaps, parts of the hydraulic systems, some of the landing gear and fuel pumps and the tail assembly have been salvaged, said Mr. Sanotskyi. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'landing gear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of landing gear was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near landing gear

Cite this Entry

“Landing gear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landing%20gear. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

landing gear

noun
: the part that supports the weight of an aircraft or spacecraft when on the ground

More from Merriam-Webster on landing gear

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