splashdown

noun

splash·​down ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce splashdown (audio)
plural splashdowns
: the landing of a crewed spacecraft in the ocean
splash down intransitive verb

Examples of splashdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Like a rock skipping across a pond, the spacecraft dips in and out of Earth’s atmosphere, slowing itself with drag and then rising with lift, until finally descending with parachutes for the splashdown. Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2024 Skip entries provide a number of benefits, including a wider range of splashdown targets. William Harwood, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2024 Engineering teams pulled off the historic feat for the world's largest and most powerful rocket while also replicating a splashdown for the Starship itself in the Indian Ocean. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024 The parachutes eventually slowed the descent to 15 mph for splashdown. Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for splashdown 

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of splashdown was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near splashdown

Cite this Entry

“Splashdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splashdown. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

splashdown

noun
splash·​down ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce splashdown (audio)
: the landing of a spacecraft in the ocean

More from Merriam-Webster on splashdown

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!