intersect
Americanverb (used with object)
-
intersects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intersected,
past participle, past
-
intersecting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
intersects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intersected,
past participle, past
-
intersecting
present participle
-
to cross, as lines or wires.
-
Geometry. to have one or more points in common.
intersecting lines.
verb
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to divide, cut, or mark off by passing through or across
-
(esp of roads) to cross (each other)
-
maths (often foll by with) to have one or more points in common (with another configuration)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonintersectingadjective
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self-intersectingadjective
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unintersectedadjective
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unintersectingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
intersectsimple
-
intersectssimple
-
have intersectedperfect
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has intersectedperfect
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am intersectingprogressive
-
are intersectingprogressive
-
is intersectingprogressive
-
have been intersectingperfect progressive
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has been intersectingperfect progressive
Past
-
intersectedsimple
-
had intersectedperfect
-
was intersectingprogressive
-
were intersectingprogressive
-
had been intersectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intersect
1605–15; < Latin intersectus, past participle of intersecāre “to cut through, sever”; see inter- ( def. ), -sect ( def. )
Explanation
When two things intersect, they run into each other, or lie across each other. Your street might intersect with a main avenue, and your life will hopefully intersect with the lives of other interesting people. In geometry, when a line intersects another line, they meet at exactly one point, and when a circle intersects a line, there are two points where they touch each other. When two streets intersect, you get an intersection, where you'll often find a stop sign or traffic signal. The Latin root of intersect is intersectus, "intersect or cut asunder," which combines inter-, "between," and secare, "to cut."
Vocabulary lists containing intersect
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"After seeing how these two independent pathways intersect, we wanted to see if interrupting one could prevent their partnership in promoting SASP," said Adams.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Ari’s and Ibari’s stories are parallel—full of echoes and doubling—but they also intersect, as characters cross from one world to the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Integratron archive doesn’t just intersect with the Huntington’s collections on aerospace and architecture, it captures a niche chapter in the history of California, Chase said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Our lives are inextricably bound up in giant networks of data that begin, end, and intersect with 6-inch screens we carry around in our pockets.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
You’re going this way because you want to intersect with the moon’s path, but the moon is going that way.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The heightened attention to the substance comes as wellness intersects more deeply with health, and as GLP-1 weight-loss medications alter the way Americans eat.
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
More broadly, energy policy intersects with industrial policy in a manner that echoes his China thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Kane said the show would be a great way to celebrate, adding: "What a delightful coincidence that the age of the theatre intersects with the age of our protagonists."
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
I’d never given much thought to ABBA, but as a Vietnamese American who grew up in the ’80s, I’ve become increasingly curious about how the Swedish pop group intersects with the Viet experience.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2025
Beneath her fingertips, the miniature rue d’Estrees intersects the miniature rue Vauborel.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The city is built on former marshlands and is intersected by a network of canals, many of them heavily flooded by the rains.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
“The unexpected gas intersected, as announced today, could potentially mean the cluster holds a larger amount of gas than previously estimated,” Euroz says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
Elsbeth creator Jonathan Tolins says the script was always planned to be bold, and though real life intersected in uncanny ways, the episode wasn’t rewritten to reflect it.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025
Cummings’ career intersected with the CIA from the start, a fact he never denied, for it added an air of mystery to his often mundane gun-selling operations.
From Slate ● May 25, 2025
Claire hiked away from the education buildings and hesitated at the corner, where several paths intersected.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
“To put my intersecting communities on the map, was one of the greatest feelings and one of the greatest accomplishments.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
The film’s narrative is scattered across two intersecting timelines that steadily build tension, suspicion and intrigue.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
This has led to growing interest in gridshells, which use intersecting curved elements of metal, glass or timber to span wide areas without interior supports.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2025
"Coming though it there are a lot of intersecting country roads."
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
“I shouldn’t have just”—kissed you, my head fills in—“done that. I just—” He glances up, and I watch as he notices the light for the intersecting street turning yellow.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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