junction

American  

[juhngk-shuhn] / ˈdʒʌŋk ʃən /

noun

• junctions
  plural

1. an act of joining; combining.

2. the state of being joined; union.

3. a place or point where two or more things are joined, as a seam or joint.

   Synonyms:

   welt, coupling, linkage, union

4. a place or point where two or more things meet or converge.

5. a place or station where railroad lines meet, cross, or diverge.

6. an intersection of streets, highways, or roads.

7. something that joins other things together.

   He used the device as a junction between the branch circuit and the main power lines.

   Synonyms:

   connection

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junction British  

/ ˈdʒʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. a place where several routes, lines, or roads meet, link, or cross each other

   a railway junction

2. a point on a motorway where traffic may leave or join it

3. electronics

   1. a contact between two different metals or other materials

      a thermocouple junction

   2. a transition region between regions of differing electrical properties in a semiconductor

      a p-n junction

4. a connection between two or more conductors or sections of transmission lines

5. the act of joining or the state of being joined

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Synonym Usage

Junction, juncture refer to a place, line, or point at which two or more things join. A junction is also a place where things come together: the junction of two rivers. A juncture is a line or point at which two bodies are joined, or a point of exigency or crisis in time: the juncture of the head and neck; a critical juncture in a struggle.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interjunction
  noun
• junctional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• junctions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of junction

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin junctiōn- (stem of junctiō ), equivalent to junct(us), past participle of jungere “to join” ( jung- join + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

The noun junction refers to a meeting or a joining of some kind. If you live at the junction of Main and State streets, then your house is where those two streets meet. Junction often refers to the point where streets or railway lines come together, but it can describe other things that are joined, especially things that are in motion or transmit other things. For example, your body has nerve junctions — the places where your nerves come together. You may go swimming at the junction of two rivers. Junction can also refer to something that connects things, like a junction you use to connect electrical cords.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

junction junctions

In a statement, the Senedd Deputy Transport Minister Mark Hooper said this could include potential junction closures in and around Newport to improve traffic flow.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Northeast of Los Angeles, the two systems come close together at Cajon Pass - a complicated geological junction where a rupture traveling along one fault may, under the right conditions, continue onto the other.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

The researchers also describe Cajon Pass as an "earthquake gate": a fault junction that may help determine whether a large earthquake remains limited to one fault or continues across both fault systems.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

Police Scotland said the 45-year-old man was hit by a black Mini Cooper, close to junction 29, at about 23:45 on Sunday.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Shortly after lunch, we arrive at a junction where four roads meet.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

Rush hour traffic was moving slowly when Rios’s Expedition entered one of the busiest junctions in the San Fernando Valley, but the SUV did not appear to brake before it T-boned the bus, witnesses said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The M8 was shut in both directions between junctions 29 and 30, just west of Glasgow Airport.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Synapses are the tiny junctions through which nerve cells communicate.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

This is where police and organisers use motorbikes and cars to ensure the road is clear at certain junctions and temporarily enforce a closure in theory until all competitors have passed through.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

In February 1943 they were assigned to defend and protect railroad junctions and bridges near a city called Voronezh.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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Related Words

• confluence
• crossing
• intersection
• juncture
• terminal

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