touchdown

1 of 2

noun

touch·​down ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce touchdown (audio)
1
: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal
specifically : the act of scoring six points in American football by being lawfully in possession of the ball on, above, or behind an opponent's goal line when the ball is declared dead
2
: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)

touch down

2 of 2

verb

touched down; touching down; touches down

intransitive verb

: to reach the ground : land

transitive verb

: to place (the ball in rugby) by hand on the ground on or over an opponent's goal line in scoring a try or behind one's own goal line as a defensive measure

Examples of touchdown in a Sentence

Noun What was the plane's speed at touchdown? Verb the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The touchdown throw came in the second quarter of the NFL Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys and was part of a 27-0 run to start the game for the Packers. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024 Lofton scored three touchdowns that game, including the winning touchdown from 1-yard out with 24 seconds left. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024 Meanwhile, Arnold finished last season with 44 receptions for 782 receiving yards and hauled in six touchdowns. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024 He was named Offensive MVP of the title game after posting 316 yards and four touchdowns in the Broncos’ 44-20 win over UNLV. Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024 The Maye-McCown partnership worked incredibly well as the quarterback had a 50-2 touchdown to interception ratio that season. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024 Branch’s 320 receiving yards last year actually trailed classmate Duce Robinson, who finished with 351 yards and two touchdowns on 16 catches. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 When Purdy went down with a nerve stinger in his left shoulder Dec. 17 at Arizona, Darnold was summoned for a three-snap cameo before Purdy returned to throw a touchdown in that division-clinching win. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Brown had 10 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown, although that’s not what got him on Lewis’ radar. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
When the aircraft touched down in Harbor Grace, the town could barely contain its excitement, especially for the sophisticated aviatrix. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 This new route marks the first time Frontier has touched down in Newark in over two years, competing with fellow low-cost competitor Spirit, as well as United and JetBlue. Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024 The odds that a tornado touched down in the area are high, officials said. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024 Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark confirmed at least 50 structures — including homes — were damaged where a tornado had touched down in Milton, just south of Madison. More than 4,100 people in Trimble County were without power. Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024 The weather service has also confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down southwest of Vevay in Switzerland County, Indiana. Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2024 Nationally, 147 tornadoes touched down on March 31 and April 1; 116 touched down on March 31 alone. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Burns, a former career diplomat with decades of experience in sensitive diplomacy, touched down for talks in all three capitals between Thursday and Saturday, which included a meeting in Amman with David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in the Grand Blanc area early Wednesday after midnight, packing winds of up to 115 miles an hour. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'touchdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of touchdown was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near touchdown

touchbox

touchdown

touch down

Cite this Entry

“Touchdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touchdown. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

touchdown

1 of 2 noun
touch·​down ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce touchdown (audio)
1
: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal
2
: the act of scoring six points in American football by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line
3
: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)

touch down

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)təch-ˈdau̇n
: to reach the ground : land

More from Merriam-Webster on touchdown

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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