windfall
/ˈwɪnd.foːl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.94 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something that has been blown down by the wind.
noun
A sudden large benefit; especially, a sudden or unexpected large amount of money, as from lottery or sweepstakes winnings or an unexpected inheritance or gift.
Example Sentences
- "The danger from windfall is greatest to trees developed in dense stands, which are tall and have slender stems, and increases with the age of the stand."
- "They couldn't reach the branches, so they ate the windfalls."
- "Businessmen rushed to get every last commodity aboard a departing ship, hoping for a windfall once the world realized these would be the very last sacks of flour available, thus driving up prices."
- "One of six siblings who’d been raised by a single mother, the client had earned a windfall of around $400,000 after going viral in 2021."
- "In addition to following the lead of Newcastle and Crystal Palace in making this a season of glory for clubs who rarely, if ever, win a trophy, Tottenham are also set to benefit from a £100m windfall after qualifying for next season's Champions League."
Etymology
From Middle English windfal, wyndfall, equivalent to wind + fall. Cognate with Middle High German wintval, wintfal, German Windfall.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: windfal
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈwɪnd.foːl/
- British English: /ˈwɪnd.fɔːl/