touchdown: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Medium-High (in sports/aviation contexts); Low (in metaphorical use)Informal to Neutral
Quick answer
What does “touchdown” mean?
The act of scoring in American football by carrying the ball into or catching it in the opponent's end zone.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The act of scoring in American football by carrying the ball into or catching it in the opponent's end zone.
The moment an aircraft's wheels make contact with the ground during landing; more broadly, any successful arrival or completion of a challenging endeavor.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, the word is understood primarily through exposure to American media and is rarely used in domestic contexts except when discussing American football or aviation. In the US and Canada, it is a common sports term.
Connotations
In the US, strong connotations of achievement, celebration, and team success. In the UK, often perceived as an Americanism.
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in US sports reporting; low frequency in general UK English.
Grammar
How to Use “touchdown” in a Sentence
VERB + touchdown: score/make/throw/run for/catch/celebrate a touchdownADJECTIVE + touchdown: game-winning/tying/spectacular/controversial touchdownVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “touchdown” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The spacecraft is scheduled to touch down on Mars at dawn.
- After a long tour, the band finally touched down in London.
American English
- The quarterback touched the ball down in the corner of the end zone. (Rare, technical)
- Our flight touched down an hour late due to storms.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable as an adverb.
American English
- Not applicable as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- The touchdown point was marked on the map.
- They reviewed the touchdown data from the probe.
American English
- He had a touchdown celebration ready.
- The touchdown pass was reviewed by the officials.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used metaphorically to describe the successful completion of a major project or deal. 'The team finally achieved touchdown after months of negotiations.'
Academic
Rare, except in papers about sports sociology, media studies, or aviation.
Everyday
Common in the US when discussing sports; used in travel contexts for aircraft landing. 'Our touchdown was a bit bumpy due to the crosswind.'
Technical
Standard term in aviation for the moment of ground contact. Also used in aerospace for spacecraft landings.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “touchdown”
- Using 'touchdown' to refer to a goal in soccer/football. *'Messi scored a beautiful touchdown.' (Incorrect) | Using it as a verb. *'The plane touchdowned at 3 PM.' (Incorrect; use 'landed' or 'touched down').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in standard usage for the sports score. The phrasal verb 'to touch down' is correct for aircraft/spacecraft landings. You 'score' a touchdown, you don't 'touchdown' the ball.
They are analogous scoring plays but are different sports with different rules. A try in rugby requires grounding the ball with downward pressure, similar to a touchdown, but the games are distinct.
It's a descriptive term from aviation jargon focusing on the moment the wheels touch the ground. It's standard technical English worldwide in aviation, not just American.
In American football, a touchdown is worth six points. The scoring team then has the opportunity to kick for one extra point or attempt a play for two extra points.
The act of scoring in American football by carrying the ball into or catching it in the opponent's end zone.
Touchdown is usually informal to neutral in register.
Touchdown: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtʌtʃ.daʊn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtʌtʃ.daʊn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Touchdown Jesus (nickname for a mural at Notre Dame University)”
- “waiting for a touchdown (expecting a big success)”
- “touchdown mentality (aggressive goal-oriented approach)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine TOUCHing the ball DOWN in the end zone to score. Or, an aircraft's wheels TOUCH DOWN on the runway.
Conceptual Metaphor
SUCCESS IS A SCORING PLAY / COMPLETING A JOURNEY IS LANDING.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'touchdown' MOST likely to be used in everyday British English?