crossover

1 of 3

noun

cross·​over ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər How to pronounce crossover (audio)
1
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
Danny DeVito is teasing an upcoming crossover between two beloved sitcoms. Liza Esquibias, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024 Khan’s appearance as Chulbul Pandey in the film will mark the star’s entry in Shetty’s ‘Cop universe’ and a crossover with the historic Dabangg franchise. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 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
But despite the swoon-worthy romance promised by the premise, the film also crosses over into tragic territory as their romance is tested by the limits of time. Shania Russell, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2024 The award is a stamp of approval and major motivator for arthouse fans, helping films cross over to a broader audience. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crossover 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crossover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of crossover was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near crossover

Cite this Entry

“Crossover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossover. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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 How to pronounce crossover (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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