touch·down
ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n 
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)
touched down; touching down; touches down
: to reach the ground : land
: 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
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
What’s more, Jones has completed 27 of his 43 passes for a league-high 415 yards and a touchdown against the blitz this year.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 21 Sep. 2025
The show is set just two years before the USCSS Nostromo crew touched down on LV-426, and brought something very nasty on board.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
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Noun
Throughout the course of the game, Williams completed 19 of his 28 pass attempts for 298 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
What’s more, Jones has completed 27 of his 43 passes for a league-high 415 yards and a touchdown against the blitz this year.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
Gregg Prettman, a Corvette owner in their group and a home builder, drove two hours to help after Hurricane Michael touched down and damaged their property in 2018.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 21 Sep. 2025
The show is set just two years before the USCSS Nostromo crew touched down on LV-426, and brought something very nasty on board.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
Cite this Entry
“Touchdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touchdown. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
touchdown
1 of 2 noun
touch·down
ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n
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
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