spillover

[ spil-oh-ver ]

/ ˈspɪlˌoʊ vər /

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See synonyms for spillover on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of spilling over.

a quantity of something spilled over; overflow.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

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Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of spillover

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase spill over

Words nearby spillover

spill, spillage, Spillane, spillikin, spillikins, spillover, spillproof, spill the beans, spillway, spilt, spilth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use spillover in a sentence

A large pool of viruses are circulating and we don’t become familiar with them until we see a spillover event and people getting ill.
The Man Who Saw the Pandemic Coming - Issue 94: Evolving|Kevin Berger|December 30, 2020|Nautilus
Each archived sample can be used to identify the wildlife sources of a disease, monitor changes in disease prevalence and distribution over time, and identify environmental variables that may lead to spillover into people.
How fossil preservation and public health are intertwined|By Colella & McLean/The Conversation|December 18, 2020|Popular-Science
As human populations expand into shrinking bat habitat, bats and humans increasingly cross paths, making viral spillover events and other harmful interactions more likely.
Why bat scientists are socially distancing from their subjects|Jerimiah Oetting|October 23, 2020|Science News
To identify good targets for this intervention, epidemiologists may need more or better information about which animal diseases are on the rise, and which ones have the greatest potential for spillover to humans.
Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics?|Rodrigo Pérez Ortega|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Whether a spillover explodes into a pandemic depends on many factors, including qualities of the virus itself and how humans respond to it.
To prevent the next pandemic, we might need to cut down fewer trees|Jonathan Lambert|July 23, 2020|Science News
They identified the five different steps required for viral spillover from bats to humans.
Bats’ Link to Ebola Finally Solved|Carrie Arnold|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other human practices, like the hunting and consumption of wild animals for food, provide other opportunities for spillover.
Bats’ Link to Ebola Finally Solved|Carrie Arnold|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those who remain closed risk losing sales and the spillover traffic.
Black Friday Comes Early as U.S. Retailers Panic Over Holiday Sales|Daniel Gross|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Clearly, the well-being of one group has important spillover effects on others.
Jewish Clergy Submit Letter to Congress Urging Action on Immigration Reform|Mira Sucharov|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For some time, inevitably, there has been some spillover effect from the Syrian war into Lebanon.
Is Syria Being 'Lebanized' or is Lebanon Being 'Syrianized'?|Hussein Ibish|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The risk of a spillover of the conflict into Albanian territory is small.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin

British Dictionary definitions for spillover

spill over

verb

(intr, adverb) to overflow or be forced out of an area, container, etc

noun spillover

mainly US and Canadian the act of spilling over

mainly US and Canadian the excess part of something

economics any indirect effect of public expenditure

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012