cloverleaf

American  

[kloh-ver-leef] / ˈkloʊ vərˌlif /

noun

cloverleafs, plural cloverleaves plural

1. a road arrangement, resembling a four-leaf clover in form, for permitting easy traffic movement between two intersecting high-speed highways. One highway passes over the other, and both are joined by a system of curved feeder roads permitting vehicles to enter and leave the highways.

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adjective

1. shaped like or resembling a leaf or leaves of clover.

cloverleaf British  

/ ˈkləʊvəˌliːf /

noun

1. an arrangement of connecting roads, resembling a four-leaf clover in form, that joins two intersecting main roads

2. (modifier) in the shape or pattern of a leaf of clover

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cloverleafed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• cloverleaves
  plural
• cloverleafs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cloverleaf

First recorded in 1930–35; clover + leaf

Example Sentences

Earlier work from the team identified an important cloverleaf shaped structure within the virus's RNA.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

Regularly, I found myself inching around the cloverleaf next to a handsome man in a blue BMW.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

Creatively designed roadways captured the public’s imagination, such as the first cloverleaf interchange, erected in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, in 1928, which allowed drivers to move between two highways without crossings or left turns.

From Slate • Aug. 28, 2024

The more extensive plans now reportedly include making way for two new highways, two large roundabouts, a giant cloverleaf and the widening of other roads.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 10, 2023

They each set out in a different direction, making a cloverleaf, meeting back at the apartment.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• bridge
• crossroad
• intersection
• junction
• overpass
• passage