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
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Consider this your shortcut to looking polished at the airport, staying comfortable in-flight, and feeling perfectly prepared from takeoff to touchdown.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
Designers, editors, and models are descending on Italy’s fashion capital for Milan Fashion Week—Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, familiar faces to the city, have just touched down.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
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Noun
The landing problem While Artemis II is designed to serve as a pathfinder mission for a moon landing, whether NASA can pull off an actual lunar touchdown this decade has remained in question.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Consider this your shortcut to looking polished at the airport, staying comfortable in-flight, and feeling perfectly prepared from takeoff to touchdown.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
On Wednesday, the Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, touched down in Jordan as part of a two-day tour hosted by the World Health Organization.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
Designers, editors, and models are descending on Italy’s fashion capital for Milan Fashion Week—Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, familiar faces to the city, have just touched down.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
Cite this Entry
“Touchdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touchdown. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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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