touchdown

American  

[tuhch-doun] / ˈtʌtʃˌdaʊn /

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.

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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

Etymology

Origin of touchdown

First recorded in 1860–65; touch + down ¹

Example Sentences

Two years later, on “Life Round Here,” he repeats, “Everything feels like touchdown on a rainy day.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Adams, who led the league in touchdown catches, is due to earn $18 million in base salary on a salary-cap number of $28 million, according to Overthecap.com.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Adams, a probable Hall of Famer, worked out great: Despite a hamstring injury that forced him to sit out three games, he caught a league-best 14 touchdown passes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Cooper came down with it and barely dragged one foot in bounds for the game-winning touchdown.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Over at the eighth grade boys’ table one of them leaps out of his chair with a “YES!” and does a little dance like he just scored a touchdown.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Related Words

• goal
• score
• six points