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

For his career, London has logged 309 receptions for 3,961 yards and 22 touchdowns. —Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 2 June 2026

Brown had four catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns for his first multi-touchdown game since Week 8 of the 2023 season. —Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Verb

After touching down at Charles de Gaulle Airport, the pair of besties wander the city, hitting flea markets and clubs alike. —Alexandra Jhamb Burns, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026

The weather service sent a survey team to North Kansas City on Monday to investigate whether a tornado touched down there as the storms moved through the metro with brilliant lightning and booming thunder. —Kansas City Star, 2 June 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