intersection

American  

[in-ter-sek-shuhn] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛk ʃən /

noun

• intersections
  plural

1. a place where two or more roads meet, especially when at least one is a major highway; junction.

   Synonyms:

   corner, crossing

2. any place of intersection or the act or fact of intersecting.

3. Mathematics.

   1. Also called meet, product.  the set of elements that two or more sets have in common. ∩

   2. the greatest lower bound of two elements in a lattice.

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intersection British  

/ ˈɪntəˌsɛk-, ˌɪntəˈsɛkʃən /

noun

1. a point at which things intersect, esp a road junction

2. the act of intersecting or the state of being intersected

3. maths

   1. a point or set of points common to two or more geometric configurations

   2. Also called: product.  the set of elements that are common to two sets

   3. the operation that yields that set from a pair of given sets. Symbol: ∩, as in A ∩ B

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intersection Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-sĕk′shən /

1. The point or set of points where one line, surface, or solid crosses another.

2. The set that contains only those elements shared by two or more sets. The intersection of the sets {3,4,5,6} and {4,6,8,10} is the set {4,6}. The symbol for intersection is .

3. Compare union

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intersectional
  adjective
• nonintersectional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intersections
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intersection

First recorded in 1550–60, intersection is from the Latin word intersectiōn- (stem of intersectiō ). See intersect, -ion

Explanation

An intersection is a point where two lines or streets cross. There are two places you're most likely to find intersections: in math class and in traffic. In math, an intersection is the spot where two lines cross. Those lines share this common point. The center of the letter X is an intersection. The same is true for streets: the intersection of Clark and Huron is where those streets cross. From the intersection, you can choose to travel down either street. When you're trying to get somewhere, it's helpful to know the major intersections.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intersection intersections

Driver said the accident wasn’t their fault, and that they were cruising down a country road in the middle of France when another vehicle failed to stop at an intersection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The lawsuit places the latest Florida education dispute at the intersection of academic freedom, faculty discretion and the authority public institutions exercise over classroom instruction.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

"There is a local saying that if you put a camera at an intersection in Chongqing, every 30 seconds you'll see a motorcycle pass by," said Zhang Yuanming, a 29-year-old motorbike enthusiast and instructor.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

I’m Sara O’Brien, a reporter covering the intersection of culture, health and wellness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

He paddled to the intersection of Napoleon and St. Charles, his shoulders aching.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

These intersections play an important role in many reactions triggered by light because they allow energy to move rapidly between electronic and structural motion.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

In New York City's Times Square, one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world, photographs of Wang Wang come up on a gigantic digital screen every 35 minutes.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Despite the often chaotic Croatian traffic and complicated intersections, Verne's head of country operations, Filip Cindric, said most rides are completed "without any intervention".

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

The third offering was an updated version of its driving software, which the company said improves performance in areas such as navigating intersections, changing lanes, safety responses and parking, DBS says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

They peeked at passersby from behind stacked sandbags at intersections.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction