landing

/ ˈlændɪŋ /  ·  noun, verb form  ·  C1

When you land something, you don't just receive it — you earn it. Through effort, persistence, and a little nerve. This word carries the whole story of trying and finally succeeding.

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Meaning 1 — To achieve something through real effort

land (verb) — to succeed in getting or winning something difficult.

This is the meaning you'll hear every day in conversation, business, and media. When someone lands something, they worked hard for it and it paid off.

"After six months of interviews, she finally *landed* the job."

"The startup *landed* a £2M investment on their first pitch."

"He *landed* the lead role after three auditions."

The image comes from fishing. Landing a fish means you've done the full job: cast the line, kept the tension, reeled it in. You didn't just catch it — you landed it. The same logic applies to jobs, contracts, and opportunities.

Common collocations:

• land a job — the most frequent usage
• land a deal / contract / client
• land a role / part (theatre, film)
• land an interview — to secure a spot to interview
• land a punch — to successfully hit in boxing or a fight

Meaning 2 — To touch down from the air

landing (noun) — the act of coming down and settling on the ground after being in the air.

"The pilot made a smooth *landing* despite the crosswinds."

"We watched the spacecraft's *landing* live on television."

As a noun, landing can also mean the flat area between two flights of stairs — "Wait for me on the *landing."* — or a historical military beach arrival, like the D-Day landings**.

Even here, the core idea is the same: a journey that required skill and effort, completed successfully. A bad pilot crashes. A good pilot lands.

Synonyms — same idea, different shade

secure — more formal: "She secured the position."

clinch — strong, final: "They clinched the deal."

nail — emphatic: "He nailed the interview."

bag — informal, casual: "She bagged the internship."

score — informal, slightly lucky feel: "He scored a great job."

The difference: land implies the full arc from attempt to outcome. Score or bag feel luckier. Secure and clinch feel more deliberate and final.

Pronunciation

It's LAN-ding, not lan-DING. Stress on the first syllable.

The a is a short, open vowel: /æ/ — same as "cat" or "hand".

Full phonetic: /ˈlændɪŋ/

"You don't just get it — you land it."

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