touchdown
touchdown — noun
1. the moment a plane, helicopter, or returning spacecraft first makes contact with
the moment a plane, helicopter, or returning spacecraft first makes contact with the runway or ground after a flight.
Passengers clapped the moment the pilot announced touchdown at Taoyuan Airport.
touchdown at + [airport]
The crew braced for a rough touchdown as strong winds shook the plane.
rough/smooth + touchdown
Cameras captured the rover's touchdown on the surface of Mars.
Flight 207 made a smooth touchdown five minutes ahead of schedule.
Eri felt her ears pop just before touchdown in Reykjavik.
文法句型
touchdown at [airport]
smooth/bumpy touchdown
用法筆記
Subject is usually an aircraft or spacecraft, not a person. Often appears with prepositions 'at' (airport), 'on' (surface), or as the object of 'before/after'.
常見錯誤
2. in American football, a score worth six points that a team gets when a player ru
in American football, a score worth six points that a team gets when a player runs the ball into the other team's end zone or catches a pass while standing inside it.
The Cowboys scored a touchdown in the final ten seconds and won the game.
score + a touchdown (most common verb)
Cole threw three touchdowns during his very first college game.
throw + a touchdown (quarterback collocation)
Fans jumped from their seats when the running back ran a 60-yard touchdown.
A late touchdown by the home team sent the crowd at the stadium wild.
The referee waved off the touchdown after reviewing the slow-motion video.
- score
general sports term; touchdown is the specific name in American football
文法句型
score a touchdown
throw a touchdown
[number]-yard touchdown
用法筆記
Almost always combines with 'score' or 'throw'. A successful touchdown is worth six points, with a chance to add one or two more by kicking. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is American football, sense 3 is rugby.
常見錯誤
3. a rugby play that earns a team points by pressing the ball onto the ground insid
a rugby play that earns a team points by pressing the ball onto the ground inside the area beyond the opposition's goal line.
The young winger dived under three defenders to make the touchdown in the corner.
make / score + a touchdown
Felix lost his grip on the ball just before the touchdown, so the points were not given.
before the touchdown (timing)
A clean touchdown in the in-goal area earned the visitors five quick points.
The referee studied the replay to confirm the touchdown behind the try line.
文法句型
score a touchdown
用法筆記
Less common than the modern term 'try', which most rugby commentators now prefer. Distinguish from sense 2: rugby touchdowns require pressing the ball to the ground, while American-football touchdowns only require crossing the goal line.
常見錯誤
touchdown — verb
1. (of a plane, helicopter, or spacecraft) to come down out of the sky and make con
(of a plane, helicopter, or spacecraft) to come down out of the sky and make contact with the ground; commonly written as the two-word verb 'touch down'.
Our flight touched down at Heathrow forty minutes late because of fog.
touch down at + [airport] (intransitive)
The lunar lander finally touched down on the dusty surface near the south pole.
touch down on + [surface]
Valentina watched the small plane touch down gently on the grass strip.
The helicopter touched down in a field beside the burning farmhouse.
- take off
leave the ground at the start of a flight
文法句型
touch down at [airport]
touch down on [surface]
用法筆記
Almost always written as two words ('touch down'). The single-word form 'touchdown' is used as the noun, not the verb. Subject is the aircraft or spacecraft, not the pilot or passengers.
常見錯誤
2. in rugby, to press the ball with your hand onto the ground inside the area behin
in rugby, to press the ball with your hand onto the ground inside the area behind the goal line, either to score points for your team or to stop the other team scoring on your own side.
Nkechi dived through the mud and touched the ball down between the posts.
touch + the ball + down (transitive)
The fullback bravely touched the ball down behind his own line to stop a try.
defensive use: behind one's own line
Walid stretched out an arm and managed to touch the ball down before sliding into the post.
Surrounded by three defenders, Sione twisted his body and just barely touched the ball down on the line.
- ground
technical rugby verb; very common in match commentary
文法句型
touch the ball down
用法筆記
Object must be 'the ball'; the particle 'down' is required. Used both for scoring (over the opponent's line) and for defending (behind one's own line). Most modern commentators prefer 'score a try' for the attacking action.