Meaning & use
touchdown
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Meanings
nouncountable
A scoring play in American or Canadian football in which a player carries or catches the ball in the opponent's end zone.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a touchdown' or 'touchdowns'.
Patterns
- score a touchdown
- run for a touchdown
- catch a touchdown
He scored a touchdown in the final minute of the game.
The team celebrated after their second touchdown.
She caught a touchdown pass to win the game.
nouncountable
The moment an aircraft, spacecraft, or object makes contact with the ground when landing.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'on' to indicate the surface.
Patterns
- touchdown on something
- make a touchdown
- a smooth touchdown
The pilot made a smooth touchdown on the runway.
The spacecraft's touchdown on the moon was broadcast live.
After a bumpy touchdown, the passengers applauded.
Word forms
| plural | touchdowns |
|---|
Common combinations
- score a touchdown
- The rookie scored his first professional touchdown.
- touchdown pass
- The quarterback threw a touchdown pass.
- touchdown run
- He had a 50-yard touchdown run.
- touchdown celebration
- The team's touchdown celebration went viral.
- touchdown on the moon
- The astronauts' touchdown on the moon was a historic moment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- score
- A general term for points in a game; 'touchdown' is specific to American or Canadian football.
Word family
- touch down phrasal verb
- To land, as an aircraft or spacecraft.
Commonly confused: touchdown or touch down?
touchdown vs touch down
The phrasal verb 'touch down' means to land; the noun 'touchdown' is one word and refers to the scoring play or the landing moment.
Practice
In American football, how many points is a touchdown worth?
Choose one answer.
A touchdown is worth 6 points; the extra point attempt can add 1 or 2 more, but the touchdown itself is 6.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “touchdown”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.