touchdown
Americannoun
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touchdowns
plural
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Football. an act or instance of scoring six points by being in possession of the ball on or behind the opponent's goal line.
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Rugby. the act of a player who touches the ball on or to the ground inside his own in-goal.
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the act or the moment of landing.
the aircraft's touchdown.
noun
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the moment at which a landing aircraft or spacecraft comes into contact with the landing surface
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rugby the act of placing or touching the ball on the ground behind the goal line, as in scoring a try
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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
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(of a space vehicle, aircraft, etc) to land
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rugby to place the ball behind the goal line, as when scoring a try
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informal to pause during a busy schedule in order to catch up, reorganize, or rest
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of touchdown
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.
Vocabulary lists containing touchdown
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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American Football, 1st Quarter
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 2–March 8, 2025
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hunter, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown in 12 carries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
In the third quarter, safety Alex Cook picked off a pass by Spencer Rattler at the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
As if the fourth quarter weren’t wild enough, the Gaels regained the lead with 6:49 left on a 54-yard touchdown reception by Corey Hinton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Bishop Gorman went back up 28-14 on a 53-yard touchdown reception by Zyren Menor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Ernie cheered, holding his shovel up as if he had just scored a touchdown.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
He completed 19 of 24 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns while adding 88 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in a stunning performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Then, in eight games last season, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and took 23 sacks, averaging one roughly every 10 dropbacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
He led the SEC in passing yardage, piled up 30 touchdowns and single-handedly carried Ole Miss to a historic comeback win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Johnson scored two touchdowns in the preseason opener at Houston and turned a short pass into a 55-yard gain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Back in the playoffs, the Carter Cowboys beat Plano East 21-7 with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
