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

The massive volume of the illicit traffic creates a windfall. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

That’s down from last year, when the mayor declared a $1 billion surplus that generated a $576 million windfall for CPS. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

While the numbers are daunting, Arsenal hope their expenditure would be offset by a significant commercial windfall. — James McNicholas, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

In exchange for their support of the capital raise, the proposal suggested, FIFA’s two hundred and eleven member federations would receive forty million dollars each from the windfall to turbocharge the sport’s development. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 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