Adjacent Words

Windfall definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WINDFALL, n. [wind and fall.]
1. Fruit blown off the tree by wind.
2. An unexpected legacy.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: fruit that has fallen from the tree
2: a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money); "the demand for testing has created a boom for those unregulated laboratories where boxes of specimen jars are processed like an assembly line" [syn: boom, bonanza, gold rush, gravy, godsend, manna from heaven, windfall, bunce]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century 1. something (as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind 2. an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an apple or other fruit blown to the ground by the wind. 2 a piece of unexpected good fortune, esp. a legacy.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Windfall Wind"fall`, n. 1. Anything blown down or off by the wind, as fruit from a tree, or the tree itself, or a portion of a forest prostrated by a violent wind, etc. ``They became a windfall upon the sudden.'' --Bacon. 2. An unexpected legacy, or other gain. He had a mighty windfall out of doubt. --B. Jonson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(windfalls) 1. A windfall is a sum of money that you receive unexpectedly or by luck, for example if you win a lottery. N-COUNT 2. A windfall is a fruit, especially an apple, that has fallen from a tree. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Godsend, unexpected gift, stroke of luck or good fortune, good luck, run of luck, piece of good fortune, piece of good luck.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A legacy, or any accidental accession of property.

Moby Thesaurus

boast, bonus, buried treasure, catch, diamond, discovery, find, finding, foundling, gem, godsend, good thing, gravy, jewel, pearl, plum, pride, pride and joy, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trophy, trouvaille, trove, waifs, waifs and strays, windfall money, windfall profit, winner