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  

/ ˌɪntəˈsɛkʃən, ˈɪntəˌsɛk- /

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

But after retirement counseling, he took a course at the New York Film Academy and has since written a screenplay—a romantic comedy set at the intersection of an underground DJ scene and the legal world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The crash, which also involved another car, was reported at 9:47 a.m. close to the intersection of Sherman Way and Etiwanda Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

That flexibility put the soybean at the intersection of food, agriculture, industry, energy and geopolitics.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Scientists say that similar to the bursting of lakes formed by retreating glaciers, these collapses reflect a complex intersection of causes, including the effects of climate change.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The young men had seen a temporary medical staging ground set up at the intersection of Napoleon and St. Charles, and they agreed that they would deliver the passengers there.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

In Taipei, temples are everywhere, wedged between shops and apartment blocks, their incense smoke wafting into busy intersections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

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

“We kept passing intersections, and the car kept going,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Small trench networks are visible at intersections on approaches to the city, indicating the area is militarized, but these have also been in place for many months.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Then he’d placed the subject of the photo, the fish, on or near those imaginary lines or their intersections so that the orange and black fish popped against the pale tentacles of the anemone.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction