touchdown

1 of 2

noun

touch·​down ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n 

1

: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal

specifically : the act of scoring six points in American football by being lawfully in possession of the ball on, above, or behind an opponent's goal line when the ball is declared dead

2

: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)

touch down

2 of 2

verb

touched down; touching down; touches down

intransitive verb

: to reach the ground : land

transitive verb

: to place (the ball in rugby) by hand on the ground on or over an opponent's goal line in scoring a try or behind one's own goal line as a defensive measure

Synonyms

Verb

• alight
• land
• light
• perch
• roost
• settle

Examples of touchdown in a Sentence

Noun

What was the plane's speed at touchdown?

Verb

the plane will touch down in about 30 minutes

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two garbage-time touchdowns from the Chiefs late in the game made the final score – 44-22 – look much closer than than the game actually was. —Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025

Rounding out the bottom five are Super Bowl 37, in which the Buccaneers defense picked off Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon five times, and Super Bowl 35, when the Baltimore Ravens held the New York Giants to no offensive touchdowns. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Verb

Once Athena touches down, the Micro Nova Hopper and MAPP rover will deploy to explore the lunar terrain. —Andrew Jones, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2025

The sample was then flown back to Earth, touching down in Utah in 2023 – and scientists have been studying it intently ever since. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

touchdown

1 of 2 noun

touch·​down ˈtəch-ˌdau̇n 

1

: the act of touching a football to the ground behind an opponent's goal

2

: the act of scoring six points in American football by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line

3

: the act or moment of touching down (as with an airplane or spacecraft)

touch down

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)təch-ˈdau̇n

: to reach the ground : land