From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishholding patternˈholding ˌpattern noun [countable usually singular] 1 TTAthe path that an aircraft flies along while it is waiting for permission to land2 a situation in which you cannot act because you are waiting for the result of somethingin a holding pattern My career is in a holding pattern right now.
Examples from the Corpus
holding pattern• The court case has been in a holding pattern, waiting for new charges.• They begin to live with the illusion that their performance is static, in a holding pattern.• In those cases, the company goes into a holding pattern.• A holding pattern is simply a delaying procedure, like a train waiting at a signal.• The plane was invited down from its holding pattern over Los Muertos Channel.in a holding pattern• They begin to live with the illusion that their performance is static, in a holding pattern. 