touchdown

1 of 2

noun

touch·​down ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n 

1

: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal

specifically : the act of scoring six points in American football by being lawfully in possession of the ball on, above, or behind an opponent's goal line when the ball is declared dead

2

: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)

touch down

2 of 2

verb

touched down; touching down; touches down

intransitive verb

: to reach the ground : land

transitive verb

: to place (the ball in rugby) by hand on the ground on or over an opponent's goal line in scoring a try or behind one's own goal line as a defensive measure

Synonyms of touchdown

Verb

• perch
• land
• light

Examples of touchdown in a Sentence

Noun

What was the plane's speed at touchdown?

Verb

the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The freshman receiver appeared to favor his right knee after reeling in a third-quarter touchdown, then jogged gingerly over to the USC sideline. — Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Against the Ravens, Jones went 19 of 31 for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception. — Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

For its fifth installment, Vogue World is making an international voyage to Italy, touching down in Milan on Tuesday, September 22—the first day of Milan Fashion Week. — Emma Specter, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2026

The National Weather Service confirmed last week that an EF-2 tornado touched down in the city amid a storm that impacted much of Southeast Michigan. — Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for touchdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

touchdown

1 of 2 noun

touch·​down ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n 

1

: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal

2

: the act of scoring six points in American football by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line

3

: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)

touch down

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)təch-ˈdau̇n

: to reach the ground : land