touchdown

American  

[tuhch-daun] / ˈtʌtʃˌdaʊn /

noun

• touchdowns
  plural

1. Football. an act or instance of scoring six points by being in possession of the ball on or behind the opponent's goal line.

2. Rugby. the act of a player who touches the ball on or to the ground inside his own in-goal.

3. the act or the moment of landing.

   the aircraft's touchdown.

---

touchdown British  

/ ˈtʌtʃˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the moment at which a landing aircraft or spacecraft comes into contact with the landing surface

2. rugby the act of placing or touching the ball on the ground behind the goal line, as in scoring a try

3. TD. American football a scoring play worth six points, achieved by being in possession of the ball in the opposing team's end zone See also field goal

---

verb

1. (of a space vehicle, aircraft, etc) to land

2. rugby to place the ball behind the goal line, as when scoring a try

3. informal to pause during a busy schedule in order to catch up, reorganize, or rest

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• touchdowns
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of touchdown

First recorded in 1860–65; touch + down ¹

---

Explanation

A touchdown is a six-point score in football. Another kind of touchdown is what happens the moment a landing airplane's wheels touch the ground. If you're a nervous flyer, you probably breathe a sigh of relief at touchdown. And if you're a fan of football in North America, you may roar with delight when your team makes a touchdown. The word originally referred to the moment in a rugby match when the ball is touched to the ground inside the goal. In football, a touchdown is scored when a player carries the ball into the opponent's end zone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

touchdown touchdowns

The Rams managed Grupe’s 44-yard field goal and Corum’s touchdown for a 9-9 tie at halftime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Then Ca’ron Williams came up with another interception deep in Braves territory, leading to a one-yard touchdown run by Petero.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Harrison’s breakout came in 202 when he led the Big Ten with 14 touchdown catches with Stroud as his quarterback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

At the end of the half, Jaion Smith of Santa Margarita deflected a possible third-down touchdown pass in the end zone and Jake Martin followed by blocking a St. John Bosco field-goal attempt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

As Permian drove for its last touchdown of the night, Jerrod McDougal, from his tackle position, hit defensive end Jeff Rashall at the knees.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

An offense that went into the game as the league’s most productive from a yardage standpoint managed only a field goal and two touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell, a five-star prospect in his first year as a starter, threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 16-point drubbing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

At halftime, Allen had only 60 passing yards with an interception and no touchdowns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Senior quarterback Alyssa McClure has completed 349 of 589 passes for 3,064 yards and 40 touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

“I really enjoyed your reading. It was really interesting when you told everybody how many touchdowns you made,” said James.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• goal
• score
• six points

---