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
Melissa ripped across Jamaica with torrential rain and rough winds after making landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.
—
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2025
Before landfall, authorities also reported the storm caused three deaths in Jamaica and three in Haiti.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Melissa appears tied for the strongest landfall on record, alongside Hurricane Dorian, which struck the Bahamas in 2019 with winds of 185 mph, and the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, which hit the Florida Keys with the same force.
—Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Images showed cars almost completely submerged as visitors staying at the hotel were forced to evacuate their rooms to the hotel's ballroom to wait out the storm after Hurricane Melissa made historic landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for landfall
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Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2025
Before landfall, authorities also reported the storm caused three deaths in Jamaica and three in Haiti.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Melissa appears tied for the strongest landfall on record, alongside Hurricane Dorian, which struck the Bahamas in 2019 with winds of 185 mph, and the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, which hit the Florida Keys with the same force.
—Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Images showed cars almost completely submerged as visitors staying at the hotel were forced to evacuate their rooms to the hotel's ballroom to wait out the storm after Hurricane Melissa made historic landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for landfall
Cite this Entry
“Landfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landfall. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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