windfall

noun

wind·fall | \ ˈwin(d)-ˌfȯl

How to pronounce windfall (audio)

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Definition of windfall

1 : something (such as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind

2 : an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about windfall

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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

Worse yet, some are focused on all the problems that their windfall has brought them, as friends and family come out of the woodwork, expecting to share in the good fortune. — William Von Hippel, Discover Magazine, "Why Natural Selection Means We'll Never Be Happy," 20 Feb. 2019 And in that time, the whole world — the financial press, ordinary investors, anyone looking for the next windfall — put more money into Bitcoin. — Farhad Manjoo, New York Times, "Farhad’s Week in Tech: Bitcoin and the Scams Under Everything," 15 June 2018 Chesnot Getty Images With the surge and fall of Bitcoin prices over the past year, some investors have looked to a red-hot fundraising tool known as initial coin offerings (ICOs) for a potential windfall. — Lucinda Shen, Fortune, "Hackers Have Stolen $400 Million From ICOs," 22 Jan. 2018 There are jobs at the stadium, and because there is no dedicated parking for fans, game day brings a windfall for residents who park cars on their lawns at $20 a pop. — Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Takeaways we learned from a visit to Orlando MLS stadium/community just like FC Cincinnati's," 9 June 2019 The parties came to the settlement, which has to be approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, after the failure in May of the Public Counsel’s petition to force FPL to return its windfall tax savings to customers. — Marcia Heroux Pounds, sun-sentinel.com, "Consumer advocate strikes deal with FPL over Hurricane Irma costs," 7 June 2019 Waukegan will receive the largest portion of the 5% casino tax windfall, at 70%, according to the legislation. — Charles Selle, Lake County News-Sun, "Selle: Waukegan's bid to land a casino goes back to 1990 on the Waukegan River," 5 June 2019 But with some studies showing casino revenues down, questions loom about whether the expansion will create the windfall lawmakers expect. — Lisa Donovan, chicagotribune.com, "The Spin: A look at the winners — J.B. Pritzker among them — and losers in spring legislative session.," 3 June 2019 But any future sales tax windfall isn’t likely to result in major new state spending, because current state law aims to give gains from the new collections back to taxpayers. — James Nord, The Seattle Times, "Panel endorses bills for online sales tax special session," 11 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'windfall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near windfall

wind-fertilization

Statistics for windfall

Last Updated

18 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for windfall

The first known use of windfall was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for windfall

windfall

noun

English Language Learners Definition of windfall

: an unexpected amount of money that you get as a gift, prize, etc.

See the full definition for windfall in the English Language Learners Dictionary

windfall

noun

wind·fall | \ ˈwind-ˌfȯl

\

Kids Definition of windfall

1 : something (as fruit from a tree) blown down by the wind

2 : an unexpected gift or gain

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