touch·down
ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n 
1
: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal
specifically
: the act of scoring six points in American football by being lawfully in possession of the ball on, above, or behind an opponent's goal line when the ball is declared dead
2
: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)
touched down; touching down; touches down
: to reach the ground : land
: to place (the ball in rugby) by hand on the ground on or over an opponent's goal line in scoring a try or behind one's own goal line as a defensive measure
Examples of touchdown in a Sentence
Noun
What was the plane's speed at touchdown?
Verb
the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes
Recent Examples on the Web
David Hill, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
Japan's private Resilience lunar lander has given us a nice shot of the moon just two weeks before its historic touchdown attempt.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 23 May 2025
Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 22 May 2025
While two of the tornadoes touched down near Bennett, about 35 miles east of Denver, two others were seen in Adams and Elbert Counties.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
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Noun
The Buccaneers played all of their starters, and Mayfield put up a staggering total of five touchdowns and 359 passing yards for the top fantasy score of the week.
—David Hill, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
Japan's private Resilience lunar lander has given us a nice shot of the moon just two weeks before its historic touchdown attempt.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 23 May 2025
Verb
Over the multi-day event, tornadoes touched down in Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia, and Oklahoma and caused over 20 fatalities.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 22 May 2025
While two of the tornadoes touched down near Bennett, about 35 miles east of Denver, two others were seen in Adams and Elbert Counties.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchdown
Cite this Entry
“Touchdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touchdown. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
touchdown
1 of 2 noun
touch·down
ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n
1
: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal
2
: the act of scoring six points in American football by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line
3
: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)
touch down
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)təch-ˈdau̇n
: to reach the ground : land
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