landfall

noun

land·​fall ˈlan(d)-ˌfȯl How to pronounce landfall (audio)
1
: a sighting of land after a voyage or flight
2
: a reaching of land (as by a traveler, craft, or storm)
3
: the land first sighted on a voyage or flight

Examples of landfall in a Sentence

From the deck of the boat, we saw our first landfall.
Recent Examples on the Web Showers have already begun in Northern California, with the storm’s landfall progressing south in the next 24 hours, experts said. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 California faces mounting flooding risks Southern California also experienced flooding last August, when Hurricane Hilary brought record-breaking rainfall to the region, after appearing at one point to be poised for a rare Southern California landfall. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024 However, a new report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has determined that the storm weakened before landfall and was not a tropical storm in California. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 And where these cables make U.S. landfall, Washington can and does monitor their traffic—basically making a record of every data packet that allows the National Security Agency to see the data. Paul Krugman, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2023 There were also multiple hurricane landfalls across Mexico, including Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm which devastated Acapulco and killed dozens. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 22 Dec. 2023 Their best chance for recovery was the upcoming landfall over Argentina on 25 May 2023. Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023 In addition to heavy rain, gusty winds are possible across portions of New England and Atlantic Canada Saturday and Saturday night as Philippe nears landfall. Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Oct. 2023 That would lead to a possible landfall in the Mid-Atlantic and bring heavy precipitation farther inland. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'landfall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of landfall was in 1627

Dictionary Entries Near landfall

Cite this Entry

“Landfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landfall. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

landfall

noun
land·​fall ˈlan(d)-ˌfȯl How to pronounce landfall (audio)
1
: a sighting or making of land after a voyage or flight
2
: the land first sighted on a voyage or flight

More from Merriam-Webster on landfall

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