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.

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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

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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

Stroud threw for more than 300 yards and Nico Collins caught two touchdown passes in a close loss last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Bijan Robinson scored an early touchdown following a 53-yard run, while fellow running back Brian Robinson Jr. also reached the end zone three times.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

After stopping the Eagles and forcing a turnover on downs, the Rams’ offense suddenly sprang to life with two touchdown drives spanning 177 yards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Only a year ago, the Eagles had stunned the Rams by blocking a field goal and returning it for a touchdown in the final seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Antoine faked a run to the right and lofted a pass into the left corner of the end zone that some mud-covered Seagull receiver caught for the touchdown.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Ceasar Reyes rushed for 374 yards and five touchdowns in win over Bell.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

But Kyren Williams rushed for touchdowns of one and seven yards in the final four minutes to lift the Rams to a stunning comeback victory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Although he arrived at Michigan last year as a supposed can’t-miss prospect, with a five-star rating and a rocket arm, he has thrown just five touchdowns and four interceptions in his sophomore campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones then got in to seal their success, with Jonathan Taylor having run in two touchdowns for the Colts.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 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

Related Words

• goal
• score
• six points