Meaning & use

windfall

noun·Advanced

An unexpected and often substantial gain, especially a sum of money.

See it in a sentence

The lottery win was a huge windfall that let them pay off the mortgage.

Farmers welcomed the windfall of a government subsidy after a difficult harvest.

A note on using this word

Windfall originally referred to fruit blown down from a tree, which is why it suggests something gained without effort.

Words with a similar meaning

bonanzaunexpected gain

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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