holding pattern
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and his seemingly supernatural competence at both city management and marketing, has laid a blueprint for kitchen-table progressives looking to bust out of the Trump-era holding pattern.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Many of the software startups that launched in the early 2010s, Medina said, aren’t growing fast enough to elicit any real interest from public-market investors, putting them in a holding pattern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
I contacted the other driver’s insurance company, and they said they’re waiting for the accident report before moving forward — so I’m basically in a holding pattern.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The Flightradar24 tracking website earlier showed planes circling above the airport in an apparent holding pattern.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
It wasn’t until the third holding pattern southwest of Kennedy Airport that Klotz told ATC that he didn’t think the plane had enough fuel to reach an alternative airport.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
