as in benefits
something that provides happiness or does good for a person or thing
hitting the lottery jackpot was an incredible windfall for the recently laid-off worker
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Recent Examples of windfalls
That extra revenue came from strong tax collections, capital gains windfalls and federal pandemic aid, producing some of the largest budget surpluses in state history.
—
Benjamin F. Henwood, Fortune, 12 June 2026
That extra revenue came from strong tax collections, capital gains windfalls and federal pandemic aid, producing some of the largest budget surpluses in state history.
—Benjamin F. Henwood, The Conversation, 10 June 2026
Supporters have argued that any actions that put universities’ financial windfalls from athletics in jeopardy could be enough to move the needle.
—Bracey Harris, NBC news, 19 May 2026
Short-sighted selloffs mandated by Washington for short-term windfalls undermine those efforts.
—John Hickenlooper, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
On rare occasions, books expected to be midlist titles become unexpected bestsellers, providing big revenue windfalls for their publisher.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Some filers who itemize tax breaks have also seen windfalls from the bigger federal deduction limit for state and local taxes, known as SALT.
—Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Cue fat windfalls for the traders.
—Wailin Wong, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Two of Wednesday’s three major money Florida Lottery draw games — Florida Lotto, Powerball, Fantasy 5 — brought financial windfalls to three players around the state.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
Benjamin F. Henwood, Fortune, 12 June 2026
That extra revenue came from strong tax collections, capital gains windfalls and federal pandemic aid, producing some of the largest budget surpluses in state history.
—Benjamin F. Henwood, The Conversation, 10 June 2026
Supporters have argued that any actions that put universities’ financial windfalls from athletics in jeopardy could be enough to move the needle.
—Bracey Harris, NBC news, 19 May 2026
Short-sighted selloffs mandated by Washington for short-term windfalls undermine those efforts.
—John Hickenlooper, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
On rare occasions, books expected to be midlist titles become unexpected bestsellers, providing big revenue windfalls for their publisher.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Some filers who itemize tax breaks have also seen windfalls from the bigger federal deduction limit for state and local taxes, known as SALT.
—Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Cue fat windfalls for the traders.
—Wailin Wong, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Two of Wednesday’s three major money Florida Lottery draw games — Florida Lotto, Powerball, Fantasy 5 — brought financial windfalls to three players around the state.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for windfalls
Noun
-
Under the current terms, the developers will pay the city a $9 million public benefits contribution, for a combined total of $38 million.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 Dec. 2025
-
After all, charter members were awarded certain benefits.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Some of them are also thought to invite blessings, like prosperity and fertility.—
Annie Daly,
Vogue,
20 Aug. 2025
-
All of the true stories on this list are disasters sprung from travel mishaps, so next time you get annoyed because baggage delivery is a little sluggish, be sure to count your blessings.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Quite a few counties across the Charlotte region in both Carolinas see data centers as economic boons.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Dec. 2025
-
With the various boons, his administration might have also created the condition for a boom in enhanced oil recovery, similar to the earlier one in fracking.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Vaccination is one of the greatest gifts humanity has ever given itself.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The declaration, in honor of the billionaire philanthropist whose gifts boosted arts, science, education and cultural causes and more across Los Angeles for decades, marks a collaboration between the County of Los Angeles and the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
For each of the past two school years, for example, CMS has spent $750,000 year on bonuses for especially effective high school math teachers.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
-
Outside the welcome bonuses, these are some of the best credit cards for students and for earning cash back.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Windfalls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/windfalls. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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