Plain English Meaning
The agreed-upon rules pilots follow when flying near an airport, so that everyone takes off, lands, and moves around the pattern in a predictable, safe order.
Full Definition
The standardized procedures and right-of-way conventions that govern how aircraft maneuver around an airport, including the direction of turns in the traffic pattern, the order of arriving and departing aircraft, and the priorities given to different categories of aircraft. In the United States these rules are established primarily by 14 CFR Part 91 and apply at both towered and non-towered airports.
Context Anchor
You meet this term when learning airport traffic patterns, use, giving way to other aircraft, and operating at airports with or without a .