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

Sharp right turns have occurred before Both of the two hurricanes to make a direct landfall on the major islands of Hawaii in the modern record also took sharp right turns. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Where Marie could hit Direct landfall of a hurricane-strength Marie is out of the question for California, and there’s only a 10% chance of a direct tropical storm landfall, said UC climate scientist Daniel Swain. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Winds of 70 mph or more are possible near the center of the storm at landfall, with the storm expected to quickly weaken after moving inland. — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan has effectively shut down, while the Port of Shanghai’s Yangshan and Waigaoqiao terminals are suspending operations as Typhoon Saudel nears landfall in China. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 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