Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. 1 A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land. 2 (context idiomatic English) Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.
WordNet
n. a state of inaction with no progress and no change; "you should go into a holding pattern until he gets over his disappointment"
the flight path (usually circular) maintained by an aircraft that is awaiting permission to land
Usage examples of "holding pattern".
Tell the captainhis name is McKayhave the air traffic people put him in some sort of holding pattern near Pax River and wait for instructions.
But you said you were already between eight and eighteen miles away from the Pentagon as you flew that holding pattern.
The screen went blank, the prompts replaced with a holding pattern.
Home security scanned her badge, then the warrant, before shifting to a holding pattern.
He could not ignore the three combat skitters, presumably carrying troops for which they were designed, which zoomed through a low ridge between two hills and spiraled up into a holding pattern above the smoldering patch in the reserve.
He was not needed anyway because the task force was in a holding pattern, waiting for Locke to turn up or something else to break.
Is Shamal officially in the past, or are you in a holding pattern?
Two-month time span, he's not court-martialed yet, so he's in a holding pattern at a regional MP HQ, which for this region is Fort Armstrong outside of Trenton, which is less than two hours away.
They kissed for a long time, then - looking round, shrugging at the front-seat antics (the flier at this point not really going anywhere, circling in a holding pattern - a clinching pattern, Aun Liss suggested) - she rose up and straddled him, his hands up underneath the light dress she wore, fingers still kneading her back .
Behind me, the flyers broke from the circling holding pattern we had maintained for our conference to form the tetrahedron behind me.