spillover

noun

spill·​over ˈspil-ˌō-vər 

often attributive

1

: the act or an instance of spilling over

2

: a quantity that spills over

3

: an extension of something especially when an excess exists

benefiting from a spillover of prosperity from neighboring states

Examples of spillover in a Sentence

Put a pan under the pie to catch any spillovers.

New technology has a positive spillover effect into countless fields.

Recent Examples on the Web

There will be spillovers into multiple policy domains such as geopolitics. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025

The ongoing avian influenza outbreak and its spillover into American dairy herds and poultry farms is another pandemic threat looming on the horizon. —Deborah Fuller, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025

Chand noted that, so far, the spillovers into animals have not easily transmitted to humans. —Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2025

In a briefing held on Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations cited the loss of hundreds of millions of poultry around the world and the increasing spillover into mammals as key concerns stemming from the spread of the H5N1 bird flu. —Joseph Choi, The Hill, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spillover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover