intersect

American  

[in-ter-sekt] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛkt /

verb (used with object)

• intersects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• intersected,
  past participle,  past
• intersecting
  present participle

1. to cut or divide by passing through or across.

   The highway intersects the town.

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verb (used without object)

• intersects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• intersected,
  past participle,  past
• intersecting
  present participle

1. to cross, as lines or wires.

2. Geometry. to have one or more points in common.

   intersecting lines.

intersect British  

/ ˌɪntəˈsɛkt /

verb

1. to divide, cut, or mark off by passing through or across

2. (esp of roads) to cross (each other)

3. maths (often foll by with) to have one or more points in common (with another configuration)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonintersecting
  adjective
• self-intersecting
  adjective
• unintersected
  adjective
• unintersecting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• intersecting
  present
• intersected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• intersect
  simple
• intersects
  simple
• have intersected
  perfect
• has intersected
  perfect
• am intersecting
  progressive
• are intersecting
  progressive
• is intersecting
  progressive
• have been intersecting
  perfect progressive
• has been intersecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• intersected
  simple
• had intersected
  perfect
• was intersecting
  progressive
• were intersecting
  progressive
• had been intersecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will intersect
  simple
• will have intersected
  perfect
• will be intersecting
  progressive
• will have been intersecting
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intersect intersects intersected intersecting

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

Primarily, the problem is that leaders of the world’s major countries aren’t doing anything as these threats continue, expand and intersect.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

When the Sun, Earth and Moon align near one of the points where their orbital paths intersect, eclipse seasons occur, producing both solar and lunar eclipses within a matter of weeks.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

"In certain directions inside the crystal, the nodal lines intersect and cross the Fermi energy where electrons can move freely," explains Sánchez-Barriga.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

We could intersect with it in a thirty-minute walk.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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

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

That’s where the similarity, if there is any, intersects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 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

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

Our soundtrack aptly intersected folk and country, and while we listened to anything anyone recommended, Cash was our mainstay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

Sheikh Radwan includes the areas of Abu Iskandar, al-Tawam, and al-Saftawi, and is intersected by al-Jalaa Street, a vital artery linking central Gaza City with its northern districts.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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

The trail had eventually forked and then intersected the road they were currently following.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Its intersecting wings provide natural light to every room, a legal requirement that can be difficult to meet in modern commercial buildings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 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

Doctorow novel, which depicts the intersecting lives of archetypal fictional characters from vastly different backgrounds, as well as historical figures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

They walked down a series of intersecting hallways.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

Related Words

• converge
• cross