windfall
n.a sudden and unexpected gain of money or something valuable. It is often a lucky break that happens by chance.
n.an unexpected and sudden gain of money or property. Often used to describe a windfall of fortune or a sudden increase in income.
“The lottery win was a huge windfall for the family.”
“The sudden sale of the old property provided a much-needed windfall to pay off the mortgage.”
“While the initial windfall from the merger allowed the company to expand rapidly, the long-term success depended on maintaining the quality of their core products.”
“Woodside Energy has scrapped its long-term emissions and clean energy targets, even after enjoying a period of windfall oil profits caused by the Iran conflict.”
“You might think that such big numbers of visitors automatically create windfalls for the towns and businesses that serve them.”
From Middle English windfal, wyndfall, equivalent to wind + fall. Cognate with Middle High German wintval, wintfal, German Windfall.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.