spill over
Britishverb
noun
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the act of spilling over
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the excess part of something
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economics any indirect effect of public expenditure
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astronomy the part of the noise associated with a radio telescope using a dish antenna caused by pick-up by a secondary antenna from directions that do not intercept the dish
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.
Some of those viruses, including viruses related to the cause of COVID-19, can spill over into humans.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
That futility was starting to spill over to his defense, too, as he dropped a routine foul ball in front of a crowd whose patience had long since worn thin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
And over the coming days and weeks, some investors are worried that the rumblings could spill over into other markets, like stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
This was less than five years since the end of the Falklands War and he was worried that tensions between Argentinian and English fans would spill over.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Nhamo turned her eyes, which threatened to spill over with tears, toward him.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
