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

The company sits at the intersection of two of the market’s main themes: the durability of AI spending and a recent concentration in market leadership, Jake Behan, Direxion’s head of capital markets, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026

"Working at the intersection of quantum simulation and high-energy physics is incredibly exciting," said Arinjoy De, first author on the paper, former PhD student in Monroe's lab and now production machine lead at QuEra Computing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

The striking thing about “An Unexpected Life,” considering that its author lived for decades at the intersection of journalism and cultural revolution, is how bland it is.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

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

She stopped at another intersection, listened, and looked both ways before moving forward.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

It also tends to have some tougher traffic intersections, such as roundabouts, than the grid-like streets in more modern cities, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The nearly two-mile-long road runs straight north and south along the western edge of the Spring Valley Lake community with few protected intersections.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 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

The Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing is notoriously hectic, and leads to one of the busiest intersections in Bangkok.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

They peeked at passersby from behind stacked sandbags at intersections.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction