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

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Etymology

Origin of touchdown

First recorded in 1860–65; touch + down ¹

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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

The Rams managed Grupe’s 44-yard field goal and Corum’s touchdown for a 9-9 tie at halftime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

He did not score a touchdown, either, opting to hand off to running back Kenneth Walker for two scores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

At the end of the half, Jaion Smith of Santa Margarita deflected a possible third-down touchdown pass in the end zone and Jake Martin followed by blocking a St. John Bosco field-goal attempt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The NFL changed its overtime rules last year so that a touchdown on the opening drive would no longer end the game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Gary Edwards scored a touchdown and intercepted a pass.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

They have just five touchdowns through six games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

An offense that went into the game as the league’s most productive from a yardage standpoint managed only a field goal and two touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

He has nine touchdowns, two interceptions, a 106.2 rating and six sacks — almost two-thirds fewer than Herbert.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

While Allen had continued to rack up rushing touchdowns in recent years, his yardage had tailed off—which made perfect sense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

It’s like a hundred touchdowns scoring at once.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

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Related Words

• goal
• score
• six points

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