touchdown

noun

touch·down | \ ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n

Definition of touchdown

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

verb

touched down; touching down; touches down

Definition of touch down (Entry 2 of 2)

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 & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about touchdown

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Synonyms & Antonyms for touchdown

Synonyms: Verb

alight, land, light, perch, roost, settle

Antonyms: Verb

blast off, take off

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 Tide gave up eight touchdown passes without an interception during that stretch. — John Zenor, The Seattle Times, "Nick Saban reloading defense with youthful Alabama team," 13 Apr. 2019 Stevens' hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Misner to cap a four-play drive. — Rich Torress, Indianapolis Star, "North extends winning streak to four in IFCA All-Star game," 13 July 2018 Mariota had his fewest yards passing with 2,528 yards last season and only 11 touchdown passes while being sacked a career-high 42 times. — Teresa M. Walker, The Seattle Times, "New coordinator, same offense for Marcus Mariota and Titans," 5 Feb. 2019 New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ted Ginn against the Atlanta Falcons. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "How Drew Brees Pushes the Limits of Quarterback Accuracy," 17 Jan. 2019 Twenty-one touchdown passes would match Steve Bono in 1995. — Blair Kerkhoff, kansascity, "The over/under on Patrick Mahomes TD passes for Chiefs is ... what??!," 5 June 2018 Chatty seat mates! Dizzying turbulence!), but trust: There's nothing like sleep—and a rejuvenated complexion—to lift your spirits upon touchdown. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "How to Take a Long Haul Flight—and Land Looking Totally Refreshed," 23 Aug. 2018 The drive was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Sony Michel to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead. — Jim Chairusmi, WSJ, "Patriots to Face the Rams in the Super Bowl," 21 Jan. 2019 Baldwin had two touchdown catches and had 77 yards receiving — the second most of his season — on four catches. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks lose Bradley McDougald, Jordan Simmons to injury vs. 49ers, but Baldwin returns with a vengeance," 16 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Trump struck back just moments before touching down in the UK on Air Force One. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, "London's mayor compared President Trump to an 11-year-old child," 4 June 2019 Using a technique called crabbing, Wassink was able to land at a severe angle through Storm Callum so that the Boeing 757-200 nose was in the midst of the wind until just before touching down on the tarmac. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Watch a 757 Land Practically Sideways in Gale Force Winds," 19 Oct. 2018 But by the time Mr. Liu touched down last week in Washington, the president’s statements had provoked a fierce backlash in Congress, and the politics around ZTE had shifted. — Mark Landler, New York Times, "Chances of China Trade Win Undercut by Trump Team Infighting," 21 May 2018 Thunderstorms whipped up a tornado Friday afternoon that touched down in Coral Springs south of the Sawgrass Expressway near Country Hills Elementary School, according to the National Weather Service. — Tonya Alanez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Tornado confirmed in Coral Springs," 28 Apr. 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just touched down in Cyprus to meet military personnel, families, and members of the local community, according to Kensington Palace. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton Rocks a Pantsuit for a Visit to Cyprus with Prince William," 5 Dec. 2018 According to Vogue, Chopra and Jonas touched down in Mumbai earlier this week. — Halie Lesavage, Glamour, "Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas Attended Their Friend's Wedding—and Of Course They Looked Spectacular," 12 Dec. 2018 The two outer cores of the rocket successfully touched down nearly simultaneously on landing pads after the launch, but the middle core ran out of igniter fluid and wasn’t able to reignite its engines during the descent. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "For the first time ever, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fails to stick a ground landing," 5 Dec. 2018 The National Weather Service has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down Monday afternoon in New Hampshire. — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, "PM Update: Solid line of rain and thunderstorms passing through the area this evening," 20 June 2018

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.