windfall

noun

wind·​fall ˈwin(d)-ˌfȯl How to pronounce windfall (audio)
1
: something (such as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind
2
: an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage

Examples of windfall in a Sentence

They received a windfall because of the tax cuts. hitting the lottery jackpot was an incredible windfall for the recently laid-off worker
Recent Examples on the Web The lottery player has plans on how to use her windfall of cash. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 The unexpected windfall prompted a flurry of employees calling up the city’s offices to ask about the extra money, according to Swiss newspapers. Bastian Benrath, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024 Tax refunds are the biggest payday of the year for many Every year, tax refunds provide a windfall for millions of Americans. Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The success of her creative teaching has also provided something of a windfall for Lattimore, who has generated brand collaborations and monetized her videos through TikTok’s creator program. Maya Eaglin, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2024 The company is awash with cash, thanks to both a windfall stemming from the 2020 merger of T-Mobile US with SoftBank’s Sprint, and the sudden rise in Arm’s fortunes. David Meyer, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024 Despite everything that 5G can do, the only thing that 5G is doing in most telecommunications businesses right now is improving operational efficiencies in the core and radio access portions of the network—not negligible, but not the monetization windfall that was originally promised, either. Marc Price, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 The $101 million windfall — equal to about 31% of iHeartMedia’s $326 million market capitalization — comes at an opportune time for the company, which saw its revenue for the first nine months of 2023 fall 3.7% to $2.68 billion. Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024 The season is a windfall for dating apps and websites cashing in on users looking to make it over the hump emotionally intact. Leanne Italie, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'windfall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of windfall was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near windfall

Cite this Entry

“Windfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windfall. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

windfall

noun
wind·​fall -ˌfȯl How to pronounce windfall (audio)
1
: something (as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind
2
: an unexpected gift, gain, or help

More from Merriam-Webster on windfall

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