windfall
noun
wind·fall
ˈwin(d)-ˌfȯl 
1
: something (such as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind
2
: an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage
Examples of windfall in a Sentence
They received a windfall because of the tax cuts.
hitting the lottery jackpot was an incredible windfall for the recently laid-off worker
Recent Examples on the Web
The roughly 220,000 barrels per day expected from that project won’t make Suriname a global energy superpower—but with a population of just 650,000, the impact of its oil windfall will be transformative.
—
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Tension over renewables In rural Randolph County, embracing wind and solar energy has fielded a financial windfall, pouring money into school districts and infrastructure and changing the county's trajectory.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
The option of allowing members to sell their share, perhaps yielding windfalls of somewhere between €50,000- €100,000, was discussed internally but has now been taken off the table, sources say.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The emergency shelter and housing crisis wasn’t meant to be a financial windfall for service providers, especially given that taxpayers were writing the checks.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for windfall
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Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Tension over renewables In rural Randolph County, embracing wind and solar energy has fielded a financial windfall, pouring money into school districts and infrastructure and changing the county's trajectory.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
The option of allowing members to sell their share, perhaps yielding windfalls of somewhere between €50,000- €100,000, was discussed internally but has now been taken off the table, sources say.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The emergency shelter and housing crisis wasn’t meant to be a financial windfall for service providers, especially given that taxpayers were writing the checks.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for windfall
Cite this Entry
“Windfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windfall. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
windfall
noun
wind·fall
-ˌfȯl
1
: something (as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind
2
: an unexpected gift, gain, or help
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