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

Sajwan has no direct stakes in UltraGreen, but his sister Indu Rawat and her husband Mahipal Singh Rawat are the ultimate beneficiaries of the windfall through The Saul Trust. —Bernadette Toh, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026

Her longtime rival, Tonya Harding, yearned to win gold at the Lillehammer Olympics—not just for the accolade itself, but for the windfall of lucrative endorsements that would follow such a victory. —Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026

That go-route strike by the 5-foot-11 receiver created downstream windfalls for the offense, said former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman on his podcast. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026

The windfall is thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted last July. —Bill Chappell, NPR, 21 Jan. 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