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

Pavia was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm for best upperclassman quarterback after throwing for 3,539 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, both of which are single-season school records, to give the Commodores their first-ever 10-win season. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026

In four seasons with the Jets, Hall has 3,398 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026

Verb

So far this year, 16 confirmed tornadoes have touched down in the National Weather Service’s Kansas City/Pleasant Hill forecast area, with the busiest months of the season typically still ahead in May and June. —Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026

The Griffin lander will demonstrate its ability to land with no official NASA payload, but will touch down on Mons Mouton near the western rim of Nobile crater close to the lunar south pole. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 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