junction
Americannoun
-
junctions
plural
-
an act of joining; combining.
-
the state of being joined; union.
-
a place or point where two or more things are joined, as a seam or joint.
-
a place or point where two or more things meet or converge.
-
a place or station where railroad lines meet, cross, or diverge.
-
an intersection of streets, highways, or roads.
-
something that joins other things together.
He used the device as a junction between the branch circuit and the main power lines.
- Synonyms:
- connection
noun
-
a place where several routes, lines, or roads meet, link, or cross each other
a railway junction
-
a point on a motorway where traffic may leave or join it
-
electronics
-
a contact between two different metals or other materials
a thermocouple junction
-
a transition region between regions of differing electrical properties in a semiconductor
a p-n junction
-
-
a connection between two or more conductors or sections of transmission lines
-
the act of joining or the state of being joined
Synonym Usage
Junction, juncture refer to a place, line, or point at which two or more things join. A junction is also a place where things come together: the junction of two rivers. A juncture is a line or point at which two bodies are joined, or a point of exigency or crisis in time: the juncture of the head and neck; a critical juncture in a struggle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of junction
First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin junctiōn- (stem of junctiō ), equivalent to junct(us), past participle of jungere “to join” ( jung- join + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
The noun junction refers to a meeting or a joining of some kind. If you live at the junction of Main and State streets, then your house is where those two streets meet. Junction often refers to the point where streets or railway lines come together, but it can describe other things that are joined, especially things that are in motion or transmit other things. For example, your body has nerve junctions — the places where your nerves come together. You may go swimming at the junction of two rivers. Junction can also refer to something that connects things, like a junction you use to connect electrical cords.
Vocabulary lists containing junction
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Prince Caspian
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Hutton Avenue in Hartlepool will be closed from the junction with Mulgrave Road, alongside St Paul's Road and South Road from the junction with Mitchell Street.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Warwick Road was closed on Monday from the Marraway roundabout to its junction with Ingon Lane and Sand Barn Lane, with the stretch remaining shut on Tuesday morning.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Warwickshire County Council added a one-way system, lowered the speed limit and implemented a protected turning lane at the Ingon Lane junction.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
According to the new study, published in Science, baryon number may be associated with a Y-shaped "junction" of gluons connecting the proton's three main quarks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Another junction, Henry makes the hard right, and the dashboard compass shows that we’re now heading north.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Rush hour traffic was moving slowly when Rios’s Expedition entered one of the busiest junctions in the San Fernando Valley, but the SUV did not appear to brake before it T-boned the bus, witnesses said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Smoke from some of the fires forced the closure of the M6 northbound between junctions five and six, causing more than two hours of delays.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
When the researchers closely examined the synapses, the tiny junctions where bipolar cells communicate, they found something unexpected.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
But Deutsche Bahn criticised the decision, saying the move could "worsen the structural problems of rail junctions".
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The stops stand for places where you can get on or off or sometimes change trains, and these are ordered into straight lines with junctions, whereas in reality they are all higgledy-piggledy.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
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.
