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

Mekkhala was moving northwestward at 10 kph (6 mph) and was not expected to make a landfall, but the typhoon’s wide rain and wind band could batter the eastern coasts of Cagayan and Batanes, an island province further north, Philippine officials said. — ABC News, 23 June 2026

Floodwaters surround a home after Tropical Storm Arthur made landfall Wednesday in Freeport, Texas. — Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 19 June 2026

Defining that need before landfall may shorten the time required to match a system to the problem. — Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

On the forecast track, Arthur is expected to move northeast along the Texas coast today before making landfall over southwest Louisiana by tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 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