crossover

1 of 3

noun

cross·​over ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər 

1

: crossing sense 2a

2

: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

3

: a voter registered as a member of one political party who votes in the primary of the other party

4

: a broadening of the popular appeal of an artist (such as a musician) that is often the result of a change of the artist's medium or style

also : an artist or artistic work that has achieved a crossover

5

: an instance of breaking into another category

6

: a basketball maneuver in which a player dribbles the ball quickly from one hand to the other

7

or crossover SUV : an automotive vehicle that is similar to a sport utility vehicle but built on a car chassis : cuv

What makes crossovers attractive is that most combine the look of an SUV with the more civilized driving characteristics of a car.

—Jonathan Welch

crossover

2 of 3

adjective

1

: having two pieces that cross especially one over the other

a crossover vest

2

: critical sense 2

the crossover point

cross over

3 of 3

verb

crossed over; crossing over; crosses over

intransitive verb

: to reach a broader audience by a change of medium or style

a country singer crossing over to the pop charts

Examples of crossover in a Sentence

Noun

The actor made a smooth crossover to politics.

a rock musician's crossovers into jazz and soul music

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But while some radio DJs declined to play the song because of its implications of interracial romance, the gambit worked: the song hit No. 2 on the pop chart, priming the world for the album’s crossover ambitions. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024

With billowing sleeves, this crossover design also gives a little hint of skin at the navel. —Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024

Adjective

From the sticky-sweet lyrics to the colorfully choreographed music video, the song catapulted the already massively popular group to new levels of crossover American success. —Tetris Kelly, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2024

Police believe an eastbound semi was doing a U-turn through the crossover because of a closure caused by the earlier crash. —Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020

Verb

While there have always been popular wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Roman Reigns who act as the public face of the company, the Rock has crossed over to being one of the primary figures behind the scenes as well as in front of the cameras. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

In 1806, the Pike Expedition traveled up the Missouri, crossed over to the Arkansas River Basin, and explored much of Colorado and the inter-basin region. —Curtis Varnell The Timepiece, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1973, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing crossover

• crossover SUV

Kids Definition

crossover

noun

cross·​over

ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər

: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

Medical Definition

crossover

1 of 2 noun

cross·​over ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər 

1

: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

2

: a crossover interchange in an experiment

crossover

2 of 2 adjective

: involving or using interchange of the control group and the experimental group during the course of an experiment

a double-blind crossover study