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

• 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

The result is that Hamas has reaped the political windfall of its own callous cowardice. —Aviva Klompas, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

September was a windfall month for the world’s wealthiest. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025

From $62,000 hotel suites to race packages with six-figure price tags, the Singapore Grand Prix is a windfall for businesses near the Marina Bay track. —Monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025

But the ones who benefit the most are clearly the 32 owners who currently have teams and can land an enormous windfall with a sale at any time. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

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