windfall
noun
wind·fall
ˈwin(d)-ˌfȯl 
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
Join 5 others in the comments View Comments In any case, the trouble in the oil world is a windfall for many consumers filling up their gas tanks.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
An irresponsible steward of his life-transforming windfall, he’s fallen behind on his property taxes.
—Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
This looks like another case of one draftee earning himself a much bigger payday by enticing one of the high-slot teams to draft him, while another draftee reaps a football windfall by joining a good club.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025
That was followed by Trump’s visit to Selfridge Air National Guard Base a week ago where Trump announced the establishment of a new fighter mission for the base that saves 600 Michigan jobs and represents a $850 million economic windfall for the state.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for windfall
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.
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
An irresponsible steward of his life-transforming windfall, he’s fallen behind on his property taxes.
—Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
This looks like another case of one draftee earning himself a much bigger payday by enticing one of the high-slot teams to draft him, while another draftee reaps a football windfall by joining a good club.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025
That was followed by Trump’s visit to Selfridge Air National Guard Base a week ago where Trump announced the establishment of a new fighter mission for the base that saves 600 Michigan jobs and represents a $850 million economic windfall for the state.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for windfall
Cite this Entry
“Windfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windfall. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
windfall
noun
wind·fall
-ˌfȯl
1
: something (as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind
2
: an unexpected gift, gain, or help
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share