windfall

[wind-fawl]

noun

1. an unexpected gain, piece of good fortune, or the like.

   I've recently come into a windfall and am considering early retirement.

2. an unexpected positive result or by-product.

   The industry’s profits are a windfall of war.

3. something blown down by the wind, such as fruit or a tree.

   We'll have plenty of firewood for winter, as there are a lot of pine windfalls around.

   She has a dozen apple trees, and every day she picks up the windfalls for eating and baking.

4. the fall of something blown down by the wind.

   The orchard must be sheltered from prevailing winds, as a windfall of peaches too early in the season can be disastrous.

5. a quantity or mass of trees blown down by the wind, or an area containing many such trees.

   The road was covered by extensive windfall which had to be cut and removed.

adjective

1. (of profit or other gain) coming unexpectedly and in a large amount.

   One new business relationship can produce tens of thousands of dollars in windfall profits.

2. blown down by the wind.

   In addition to grain, his free-range chickens eat bugs and windfall fruit.

windfall

/ ˈwɪndˌfɔːl /

noun

1. a piece of unexpected good fortune, esp financial gain

2. something blown down by the wind, esp a piece of fruit

3. a plot of land covered with trees blown down by the wind

windfall

1. An unexpected profit from a business or other source. The term connotes gaining huge profits without working for them — for example, when oil companies profit from a temporary scarcity of oil.

Word History and Origins

Origin of windfall¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; wind ¹ + fall

Example Sentences

The industry argues that subsequent falls in the price of crude oil demonstrate that the "windfall" has now ended and that taxation should reflect that change.

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It’s “a great place to invest an unexpected cash windfall,” she said.

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The windfall from the statue, originally sold to the club by diamond-mining magnate Ernest Oppenheimer, was enough to pay off the club’s debt at the time, with money left over for upgrades.

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Pasadena may get a one-time windfall, but over time without an anchor tenant, revenue will shrink and the stadium’s luster will fade.

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“Top talent is doing the math and realizing that a piece of a smaller fund that actually performs beats a theoretical windfall that may never materialize.”

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Related Words

• bonanza 
• bonus