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

Synonyms of windfall

• benefit
• blessing
• boon
• gift

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

Zelenskyy and some other European leaders said that would provide a windfall for Moscow to keep up its attacks on Ukraine. —Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026

So, in essence, the Fins are getting very low 1R and 3R picks, still a reasonable bounty, but not a windfall. —Greg Cote updated March 17, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026

But a quiet regulatory shift in Northern Indiana is threatening to turn potential economic development into a windfall for utillity shareholders at the expense of Hoosier families and a competitive marketplace. —Randy Niemeyer, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026

Agricultural exporters including Argentina and Uruguay could be boosted as well as the price of foodstuffs increase globally, while investment in Latin America could further drive a hard currency windfall. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for windfall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids 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