touchdown

play

noun touch·down \ ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of touchdown

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)

See touchdown defined for English-language learners

See touchdown defined for kids

Examples of touchdown in a Sentence

What was the plane's speed at touchdown?

Recent Examples of touchdown from the Web

Three ended in short touchdown passes, two others in field goals and five in punts.

— blair kerkhoff, kansascity, "What to expect in Patrick Mahomes’ first NFL start," 29 Aug. 2017
McCown is 2-20 over the past three seasons with Tampa Bay and Cleveland, and has 29 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions.

— dennis waszak jr., chicagotribune.com, "Josh McCown named Jets' starting quarterback," 28 Aug. 2017
Ashaad Clayton popped loose for a 12-yard gain on the ensuing play and Lance LeGendre found Yo'Heinz Tyler for a 29-yard touchdown a few plays later with 37 seconds to go.

— josh preston, NOLA.com, "Warren Easton 7, St. Augustine 0: Yo'Heinz Tyler touchdown grab gives Eagles edge in defensive battle," 27 Aug. 2017
The Huskies have returned 231 kickoffs without a touchdown since Robbie Frey scored on one in the Fiesta Bowl. ...

— mike anthony, courant.com, "UConn's Opener Will Bring New Team Into Focus," 27 Aug. 2017
Short finished with seven receptions for 118 yards, while Jones hauled in an 11-yard touchdown catch in the second half.

— bob narang, Lake County News-Sun, "Tight end Ryan Short provides another option for Warren offense," 27 Aug. 2017
Woodrum finished 8-for-13 for 55 yards and the one touchdown to Mizzell, who led the Ravens with 59 all-purpose yards.

— jeff zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, "More of the same for Ravens: Defense dominates, offense struggles in 13-9 win over Bills," 27 Aug. 2017
Scalzo connected with Carlos Sandy in the second quarter on the first of two hookups for a 22-yard touchdown to give Gibbons its 10-6 lead.

— david furones, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Cardinal Gibbons convincingly takes down defending champ Southridge," 27 Aug. 2017
The Slicers' next possession also came within inches of a touchdown, but Hobart's defense forced a fumble that was recovered by junior linebacker Sal Valle.

— dave melton, Post-Tribune, "Growth spurt: Hobart shows big improvement from opener in win over LaPorte," 26 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'touchdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of touchdown

1856

touch down

verb

Definition of touch 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

See touch down defined for kids

Examples of touch down in a Sentence

the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes

First Known Use of touch down

1859

touch down Synonyms

Synonyms

land, light, perch, roost, settle, alight

Antonyms

blast off, take off

Related Words

belly-land, crash-land

Near Antonyms

arise, ascend, climb, rise; float, fly, glide, plane, soar, wing; hang, hover

TOUCHDOWN Defined for English Language Learners

touchdown

play

noun

Definition of touchdown for English Language Learners

American football : a score that is made by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line or by catching the ball while standing in the end zone
rugby : the act of scoring points by putting the ball on the ground behind an opponent's goal line
: the moment when an airplane or spacecraft touches the ground at the end of a flight