: one that lands
especially : a space vehicle that is designed to land on a celestial body (such as the moon or a planet)

Examples of lander in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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For example, one of the company's devices hit the gray dirt aboard Intuitive Machines' Athena lander in March 2025. Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Consisting of a lunar orbiter, lander, rover, and a mini-hopper of a probe, the mission was due to launch as early as Sunday on a Long March 5 rocket. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Aug. 2026 But the lander fell on its side during touchdown, and the hopper was lost. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026 The Falcon 9 rocket was launched in early 2025 on a one-way mission to carry lunar landers into deep space. Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lander

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lander was in 1859

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Cite this Entry

“Lander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lander. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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