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
Josh Buckhalter, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
The catch was Waller’s second of the game and only the first of two touchdowns.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Bad Bunny is officially touching down on the biggest stage in sports.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
White has the Bucs' only rushing touchdown this season.
—Josh Buckhalter, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
The catch was Waller’s second of the game and only the first of two touchdowns.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Colin Farrell touched down at the Zurich Film Festival this week with his latest project Ballad of a Small Player from director Edward Berger.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Bad Bunny is officially touching down on the biggest stage in sports.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 29 Sep. 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 1 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share