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

Even McMillan, who scored Carolina’s only touchdown Monday and has generally been a bright spot, now has six drops on the season. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 25 Nov. 2025

On his game-opening touchdown, three Panthers defenders converged on Jennings. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025

Verb

Jodie Foster and Guillermo del Toro touch down for honorary awards and screenings of Private Life and Frankenstein respectively, while Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong Joon Ho presides over a jury featuring actresses Anya Taylor-Joy, Jenna Ortega and Celine Song. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025

This sighting comes just hours after Beyoncé made headlines touching down at the event early Saturday in a custom Louis Vuitton leather tracksuit featuring a bold white, black and red color palette. —Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 23 Nov. 2025

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