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)
touched down; touching down; touches down
: to reach the ground : land
: 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
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
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
Allen found Ray Davis with a 16-yard touchdown pass near the start of the second half but failed to capitalize on Greg Rousseau blocking Parker Romo’s field goal attempt at the start of the fourth quarter.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Pettit’s latest space mission, a 220-day jaunt, concluded on his 70th birthday on April 20, when the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that carried him and his two crewmates touched down in the steppe of Kazakhstan.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
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Noun
The former New York Giants QB also has four rushing touchdowns.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
Allen found Ray Davis with a 16-yard touchdown pass near the start of the second half but failed to capitalize on Greg Rousseau blocking Parker Romo’s field goal attempt at the start of the fourth quarter.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
The crafts team behind the terrifying scenes in Paul Greengrass’s disaster movie The Lost Bus, inspired by the 2018 Camp Fire, one of the deadliest wildfires to ever hit California, touched down at Contenders London on Saturday.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Pettit’s latest space mission, a 220-day jaunt, concluded on his 70th birthday on April 20, when the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that carried him and his two crewmates touched down in the steppe of Kazakhstan.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
Cite this Entry
“Touchdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touchdown. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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