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

Mentions of tariff windfalls on quarterly earnings calls have risen 130% in the last 90 days, with the second quarter’s earnings season still just beginning. — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 14 July 2026

Still, local officials concede that the windfall is tied to the construction phase and will likely shrink once construction ends. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 July 2026

The other record that is a major milestone for Telemundo is the amount of advertising and sponsorship that the World Cup audience windfall has delivered for Telemundo, Peacock and Telemundo’s sibling cable channel Universo. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 July 2026

And even if granted a hypothetical $75,000 cash windfall, shopper trends remain unchanged. — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 10 July 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