Definition

The event of arriving at or seeing land after being at sea or in the air.

Example

The ship made landfall after a long journey across the ocean.

Conversation

Did you hear about the storm that made landfall last night?

Yeah, I saw it on the news; it looked pretty intense!

I hope everyone is safe after that landfall.

Me too! It's always scary when storms hit land.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Landfall is formed from "land" (from Old English *land*, meaning ground or territory) and "fall" (from Old English *feallan*, meaning to fall or to come down). The term describes the act of reaching or coming down onto land, especially after being at sea.

Memory Tip

Think of arriving at 'land' after being at sea, which is what 'landfall' means.

Visually Confused Words