windfall

American  

[wind-fawl] / ˈwɪndˌfɔl /

noun

• windfalls
  plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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windfall Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• windfalls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of windfall

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

Explanation

Lucky you! You just won the lottery and your windfall will make life very comfortable for you and your family. A windfall is a crazy bit of unexpected good fortune. First used in the 15th century, the word windfall originally referred to fruit that the wind blew from the trees. Like a prize was there for whomever found it — no need for the ladder and effort of picking it from the tall trees. The word eventually came to mean any unexpected and easily-gained good fortune, typically one involving money, such as the windfall profit from a lucky stock purchase.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

windfall windfalls

But a number of economists argue their projections lack clarity and likely overestimate the windfall.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Micron Technology is seeing a historic cash windfall — and much of that money will soon rain down on investors.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

In her time, and in her opinion, a sensible woman’s paths to financial freedom were limited to hoping for a windfall or making one’s fortune off others’ backs as a madam.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Although skyrocketing fuel prices provide refiners with huge profits, middlemen such as Tuxis-Ohr’s don’t see the same windfall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

It was then that Presto realized the extent of his windfall.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Do you think investors are going to write off these massive AI windfalls, or write them down?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Companies are using tariff refund windfalls to cut prices and absorb higher supply-chain costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Pacific island nations are divided on whether deep-sea mining will deliver economic windfalls, or environmental catastrophe.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Refiners PBF Energy and Valero also reported windfalls, with the latter earning $3.7 billion, another fivefold increase from the year before.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Either way, the meanings are the same: great discoveries, whether of silk or of gravity, are always windfalls.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• bonanza
• bonus