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

For example, in May 2023, waiting for the EMA crossover would have meant missing out on 4.6% of the move. —Nishant Pant, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2024

The crossover can be done in two ways—in the first, the swimmer touches the wall on their side, after the last stroke on the back but making sure not to rotate past 90 degrees. —Alice Park / Nanterre, TIME, 3 Aug. 2024

Adjective

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

Kingdom Hearts is a wildly popular series featuring a crossover world of Square Enix and Disney characters. —Thuy Ong, Bloomberg.com, 19 May 2020

Verb

Governor of Kursk region telegram channel via AP Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that 300 Ukrainian troops had crossed over the border with tanks and armored vehicles, entering the country near the town of Sudzha, around 400 miles southwest of Moscow. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 8 Aug. 2024

Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine finally cross over with the likes of of Captain America, Thor and Spider-Man in the new film — nearly ever Marvel fan’s dream. —Anna Tingley, Variety, 26 July 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