Meaning of holding pattern | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land.
2. Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.
   idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“The plane flew in a holding pattern for half an hour because one runway was closed.”

“This project is in a holding pattern until all the parts arrive.”

“All of Sellafield is in a holding pattern, trying to keep waste safe until it can be consigned to the ultimate strongroom: the geological disposal facility (GDF), bored hundreds of metres into the Earth’s rock, a project that could cost another £53bn.”

CEFR level