1 A2 neutral
To descend and make contact with a surface (literal, of aircraft, birds, people, etc.).
"The butterfly landed on the back of her hand and stayed perfectly still."
inseparable
land on
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To arrive at, settle on, or find something; also, to criticise or punish someone.
In plain English
To arrive at a place or idea, or to get told off by someone.
What does "land on" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To arrive at or settle on a decision, idea, or solution after considering options.
"After hours of brainstorming, they finally landed on the perfect name for the product."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To criticise, punish, or reprimand someone heavily.
"The headteacher really landed on the students who were caught cheating."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To physically descend and make contact with a surface — transparent in the physical sense.
Actually means
To arrive at a place or idea, or to get told off by someone.
Usage tip
Has both a literal sense (an aircraft or bird lands on something) and figurative senses: discovering or settling on an idea, or criticising and coming down hard on someone. Context is key.
Words that pair with "land on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
feet solution answer idea someone topic
How to conjugate "land on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
land on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lands on
he/she/it
Past simple
landed on
yesterday
Past participle
landed on
have + pp
-ing form
landing on
continuous
Hear "land on" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "land on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.