landfall

[land-fawl]

noun

1. an approach to or sighting of land.

   The ship will make its landfall at noon tomorrow.

2. the land sighted or reached.

3. a landslide.

landfall

/ ˈlændˌfɔːl /

noun

1. the act of sighting or nearing land, esp from the sea

2. the land sighted or neared

Word History and Origins

Origin of landfall¹

First recorded in 1620–30; land + fall

Example Sentences

Days before it made landfall, forecasters were already suggesting that conditions were in place for the storm to intensify quickly, with the Caribbean Sea being around 1.5 C warmer than average.

Read more on BBC

Before making landfall in Vietnam, the typhoon, known locally as Tino, left a trail of devastation in the Philippines.

Read more on BBC

It is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam on Friday morning, according to forecasts.

Read more on BBC

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the powerful storm, which made landfall shortly before midnight.

Read more on Barron's

The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a category five storm and was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the Caribbean.

Read more on BBC