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

My research on how these movements evolve online and intersect with political activists and extremist networks was directly relevant to tracing how COVID-origin claims moved from fringe communities into mainstream political discourse.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 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

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

The two ivy- covered walls on either side of him seemed to intersect with nothing but sky up ahead.

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

The question becomes more prominent when it intersects with governance questions like a closely divided vote or succession concerns.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

It’s caused by the saliva in a tick and how it intersects with the immune response of certain people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

With a passion for human-interest storytelling and cultural reporting, she has reported on gender as it intersects with arts, pop culture, sports and politics.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

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

Twelve miles on foot brought him to Topock, Arizona, a dusty way station along Interstate 40 where the freeway intersects the California border.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Police effectively asked Google to look through a vast archive of human movement and identify which lives intersected with a particular patch of pavement at a particular moment in time.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

Amplitude said the well in southeastern Australia’s Otway Basin intersected a gas-bearing section of the primary Waarre-C reservoir.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

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

For decades, raw milk has been consumed by alternative health types, typically those who intersected with the “raw food” movement, a diet fad where people would eat only raw food.

From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2024

The tractor intersected Gloria’s path half a second after Robbie had, rolled on ten feet further and came to a grinding, long drawn-out stop.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

All four players are exceptional in their roles, playing smartly off their screen personas while exploring the nuances of the characters and their intersecting dynamics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 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

This mass failure is the result of three intersecting crises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025

"Coming though it there are a lot of intersecting country roads."

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

They passed a couple of intersecting paths, but the way was always certain.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

• converge
• cross