landfall

noun

land·​fall ˈlan(d)-ˌfȯl 

1

: a sighting of land after a voyage or flight

2

: a reaching of land (as by a traveler, craft, or storm)

3

: the land first sighted on a voyage or flight

Examples of landfall in a Sentence

From the deck of the boat, we saw our first landfall.

Recent Examples on the Web

Width, density and spacing in cross sections of the tree rings document floods, droughts and hurricane landfalls. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 28 June 2026

On the contrary, forecast error for hurricane landfalls have been reduced, and the amount of reliable lead time has increased. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

According to the report, there is a 24% probability that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the east coast of the United States. — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 June 2026

The storm made landfall with gusts of 50 mph, and was expected to dump up to 3 inches of rain in parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landfall

• make landfall

Rhymes for landfall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

landfall

noun

land·​fall ˈlan(d)-ˌfȯl 

1

: a sighting or making of land after a voyage or flight

2

: the land first sighted on a voyage or flight