touchdown

[tuhch-doun]

noun

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of touchdown¹

First recorded in 1860–65; touch + down ¹

Example Sentences

A leaping penalty on linebacker Desman Stephens turned a missed Oregon field goal into a touchdown.

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Moore completed 27 of 30 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

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Mosley finished with 82 yards on five catches for two touchdowns.

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Now little brother will have his moment in the spotlight after a courageous performance that saw him endure a powerful Mater Dei pass rush to throw for 290 yards and run for two touchdowns.

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The rapid spin and tiny size mean that performing a touchdown maneuver, in which the spacecraft briefly makes contact with the surface, will be more difficult than mission teams originally expected.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• goal 
• score 
• six points www.thesaurus.com