Definition

1. Noun:
   • A sudden and unexpected piece of good fortune, especially financial gain: A "windfall" is an unanticipated event that results in a positive outcome, often a sum of money received unexpectedly.
   • Fruit, especially apples or pears, that has been blown down from a tree by the wind: The original, literal meaning referring to fruit that has fallen naturally, making it easy to collect.

Examples

• Noun (Unexpected Gain):
  • The tax refund was an unexpected windfall that allowed them to take a vacation.
  • Winning the lottery was a huge windfall for the retired couple.
• Noun (Fallen Fruit):
  • After the storm, the ground was covered with windfalls from the apple orchard.

Advanced Usage

• "Windfall profit": A large, unexpected profit, often due to external events like changes in market prices or laws.
  • The oil company reported windfall profits due to the sudden spike in fuel prices.
• "Windfall tax": A tax levied by a government on a company's unexpectedly high profits.
  • The government debated imposing a windfall tax on the energy sector.

Variants and Related Words

• Windfall gain (n): Synonymous with an unexpected financial benefit.
  • The inheritance was a significant windfall gain.

Synonyms

• Boon: A thing that is helpful or beneficial.
• Godsend: A very helpful or valuable event, person, or thing.
• Bonanza: A situation which creates a sudden increase in wealth, good fortune, or profits.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Reap a windfall": To gain or benefit from a sudden piece of good fortune.
  • The investors reaped a windfall when the company's stock price doubled.

Noun

1. 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
2. fruit that has fallen from the tree