windfall

[ wind-fawl ]

/ ˈwɪndˌfɔl /

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See synonyms for windfall on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

something blown down by the wind, as fruit.

adjective

accruing in unexpectedly large amounts: windfall profits.

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Origin of windfall

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at wind¹, fall

Words nearby windfall

wind-down, winded, winder, Windermere, wind erosion, windfall, windfall tax, windfarm, windflaw, windflower, windgall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use windfall in a sentence

Because the three has become just a bit more difficult, it’s not the windfall it once was.
Did Moving The Arc Bring The 3-Pointer To A Breaking Point?|Jake Lourim|February 1, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Staying at the forefront of the AdTech innovation curve will open doors to windfall profits.
Jingle all the way: What will 2021 mean to the advertising world?|Alex Zakrevsky|December 25, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The second media executive said that their company has “not seen a windfall of political dollars.”
‘Our biggest quarter ever’: Publishers’ ad businesses are rebounding into the end of the year — for now|Tim Peterson|November 4, 2020|Digiday
The world’s rapid shift to online platforms during the pandemic is a windfall for artificial intelligence, he said.
COVID gave China an edge in A.I. battle against the U.S.|Grady McGregor|October 27, 2020|Fortune

Still, he says that there is “too much uncertainty” to begin lowering reserves, a move that would prove a windfall for profits, and could happen.
Bank of America just ended a weak quarter—but there were 3 little-noticed bright spots|Shawn Tully|October 18, 2020|Fortune
It generates tragedy, violence, and a windfall for undertakers.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And the boomers—at least those in the more affluent classes—are about to get yet another windfall.
Trustafarians Want to Tell You How to Live|Joel Kotkin|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With some areas, the differences are stark in terms of where this windfall lands.
Trustafarians Want to Tell You How to Live|Joel Kotkin|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is this ignorant and sanitized speech truly a windfall for feminism?
Lana Del Rey and the Fault in Our ‘Feminist’ Stars|Amy Zimmerman|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Vatican reinvested about 60% of its windfall in government bonds.
How the Catholic Church Got in Bed with Mussolini|Jason Berry|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since the announcement of this windfall we understand that the beneficiaries have been overwhelmed with offers of marriage.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, May 16, 1917.|Various
At the sound there was a sudden rustling in the bushes behind the windfall.
The Watchers of the Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts
The Institution had just had a windfall in the shape of one of those agreeable 1000l.
Mystic London:|Charles Maurice Davies
Ay, my boy, there it is—no doing in this world without the needful, and I'm not the ass to fight shy of such a windfall.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 13, Issue 372, Saturday, May 30, 1829|Various
With a great expenditure of time and patience I have at last had this windfall, very rarely, I admit.
More Hunting Wasps|J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for windfall

windfall

/ (ˈwɪndˌfɔːl) /

noun

a piece of unexpected good fortune, esp financial gain

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

mainly US and Canadian a plot of land covered with trees blown down by the wind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for windfall

windfall

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.

windfall

Origin of windfall

Words nearby windfall

Words related to windfall

How to use windfall in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for windfall

Cultural definitions for windfall