junction

American  

[juhngk-shuhn] / ˈdʒʌŋk ʃən /

noun

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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Related Words

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

• interjunction noun
• junctional adjective

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

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

I’ve always seen my profession to be about junction making.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

WTI, meanwhile, represents barrels that arrive at a pipeline junction in Oklahoma.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

As the car came to a standstill at a junction, I spotted one of the giant black birds that seemed to have followed me around Panama, perched imperiously on the side of the road.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Officers followed the vehicle until the driver stopped at an Esso petrol station on the A34, at the junction of Liverpool Road and London Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Alex followed them all the way to a junction with the main railway.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Related Words

• confluence
• crossing
• intersection
• juncture
• terminal