touchdown
Americannoun
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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
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.
"Touchdown events can cause extreme damage through very high temperatures and pressures," Kennett said.
From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2025
Touchdown at Heathrow at midday, get to the hotel in Paddington - quick nap, then up and out to walk the three-mile journey to Shepherd's Bush.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025
Like Taylor Swift, "Holiday Touchdown" shows how the Chiefs, the spirit of Christmas and a little healthy competition can bring people together.
From Salon • Nov. 30, 2024
“We were playing Wiffle ball on campus under Touchdown Jesus, and he squared a ball up right off my forehead,” John Edman, 53, said.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2024
“They call him Mr. Touchdown, yes, they call him Mr. T.”
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
