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
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 Brett Leason scored twice, giving the Ducks leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before ceding five unanswered goals to Chicago, which had put up a touchdown on the Arizona Coyotes as well in a 7-4 win on Sunday. Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 13 Mar. 2024 When Purdy was stashed for the playoffs, Darnold started the regular-season finale against the Rams, went 5-for-5 on an opening touchdown drive, and certified his stock that surely appealed to the Vikings. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 In his eight appearances, the former North Dakota State star completed just 55% of his passes and threw for five touchdowns and three interceptions. Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 Johnson caught 13 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns, all told. Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 For example, if a plane experiences a landing gear failure, the pilots often know well in advance of touchdown. Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 Jones closed the season with a sterling 62.2 passer rating in his coverage area, with 10 completions in 14 throws but only 55 yards, two interceptions and one touchdown allowed. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Four plays later, Reed scored an 8-yard rushing touchdown to seal Michigan State’s 21-point victory. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
These included Wisconsin's first-ever and only February tornado, which touched down near Edgerton and Evansville on Feb. 8. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 Key Background The Odysseus lunar lander touched down on the moon’s surface last week, completing the first-ever lunar landing by a private company after a week-long voyage from Earth. Ty Roush, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 No American spacecraft had touched down softly on the moon in more than 50 years — since the last of the Apollo missions in December 1972. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 The New Heights podcaster has been with the 14-time Grammy winner in Australia since Wednesday, when his plane touched down in the land down under. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024 Roughly an hour before landing, the company also scrambled to resolve a problem with laser instruments designed to help the spacecraft assess the lunar terrain and find a safe and hazard-free spot to touch down. Denise Chow, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024 After about a week on the surface of the moon, the pioneering Odysseus lunar lander—the first American spacecraft to touch down on the moon since 1972—is powering down. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Hours before descending to the lunar surface, the spacecraft suffered a glitch with its onboard laser instruments that are designed to help the vehicle assess the lunar terrain and find a safe, hazard-free spot to touch down. Denise Chow, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 Moon missions The historic US moon mission that touched down on the lunar surface on Thursday is coming to an early end. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 27 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 28 Mar. 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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