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

Forecasts anticipate landfall could happen around 2 p.m. local time on Thursday. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025

Some of the heaviest rain – 4 to 6 inches – is expected to fall over Taylor County, home of three hurricane landfalls between 2023 and 2024. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 July 2025

This can fuel rapid intensification and quick landfall, amping up the threat due to short warning lead times. —Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 2 July 2025

The nonprofit mobilized 400 disaster workers ahead of the hurricanes’ landfall, anticipating them as some of the worst natural disasters to hit the area. —Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 23 June 2025

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