windfall

Noun

windfall (plural windfalls)

1. Something that has been blown down by the wind.
2. (uncountable) The act of something being blown down by wind.
   • 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.1911, United States. Forest Service, Bulletin, numbers 94-103, page 15
3. A fruit that has fallen from a tree naturally, as from wind.
   • They couldn't reach the branches, so they ate the windfalls.
4. (figuratively) 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.
   • 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.2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
   • 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 2021.2023 October 19, Brendan I. Koerner, “Watch This Guy Work, and You’ll Finally Understand the TikTok Era”, in Wired, →ISSN

   Synonyms:

   godsend, boon