splashdown

noun

splash·​down ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce splashdown (audio)
plural splashdowns
Synonyms of splashdownnext
: 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.
SpaceX was more than lucky last Friday, sending its 13th full-scale Starship test flight halfway around the world from South Texas to an on-target, intact splashdown in a remote section of the Indian Ocean. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 SpaceX launched its Starship vehicle on July 24, sending the 408-foot-tall (124-meter) Starship Version 3 (V3) rocket on a suborbital trajectory that saw the rocket's upper stage make its softest splashdown yet. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 29 July 2026 Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown — or rupturing in midair. — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 25 July 2026 Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown -- or rupturing in midair. — Arkansas Online, 24 July 2026 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

Rhymes for splashdown

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Browse Nearby Words

splash dam
splashdown
splasher
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Cite this Entry

“Splashdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splashdown. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

splashdown

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

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