windfall
/'windf :l/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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
- 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
- fruit that has fallen from the tree