crossover

1 of 3

noun

cross·​over ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər How to pronounce crossover (audio)
1
2
: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over
3
: a voter registered as a member of one political party who votes in the primary of the other party
4
: a broadening of the popular appeal of an artist (such as a musician) that is often the result of a change of the artist's medium or style
also : an artist or artistic work that has achieved a crossover
5
: an instance of breaking into another category
6
: a basketball maneuver in which a player dribbles the ball quickly from one hand to the other
7
or crossover SUV : an automotive vehicle that is similar to a sport utility vehicle but built on a car chassis : cuv
What makes crossovers attractive is that most combine the look of an SUV with the more civilized driving characteristics of a car.Jonathan Welch

crossover

2 of 3

adjective

1
: having two pieces that cross especially one over the other
a crossover vest
2
: critical sense 2
the crossover point

cross over

3 of 3

verb

crossed over; crossing over; crosses over

intransitive verb

: to reach a broader audience by a change of medium or style
a country singer crossing over to the pop charts

Examples of crossover in a Sentence

Noun The actor made a smooth crossover to politics. a rock musician's crossovers into jazz and soul music
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Trax The Chevy Trax is a compelling small crossover that goes big on interior quality, space and value. Alex Nishimoto, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 But crossovers between luxury and entertainment have become more common in recent times. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 23 Feb. 2024 Cannabis-alcohol crossovers are a popular concept—popular enough that they were discussed in a seminar at last year’s California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, in preparation for the state’s legalization of recreational weed on Jan. 1, 2018. Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Kahan’s dual chart triumph is a story of singular success: after grinding out multiple albums and hundreds of tour dates, the Strafford, Vt. native began an ascent towards crossover stardom in earnest last year as Stick Season’s listenership continued to swell. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024 The crossover, which was bought with the then-prince’s own money, has the distinction of being the royal family’s first EV. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024 Wilson opened up to Extra on the People's Choice Awards red carpet Sunday about why the singer's crossover into country music is something to be excited about. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 This week: Beyoncé’s country crossover drives extra attention (and streams) to other Black female country artists, a Stranger Things star is on the verge of a major pop hit and a smash biopic results in a booming Bob Marley catalog. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024 Like the Blazer, the AWD is configured like the systems on most crossovers and cars with front drive being the primary solution and the rear only being activated when extra traction or maximum thrust is required. Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Police believe an eastbound semi was doing a U-turn through the crossover because of a closure caused by the earlier crash. Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020 Kingdom Hearts is a wildly popular series featuring a crossover world of Square Enix and Disney characters. Thuy Ong, Bloomberg.com, 19 May 2020 Its crossover success was among the watershed moments in the commercial potential of rock ’n’ roll. Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2020 Cooper, an eight-time All-Defensive Team selection, had little answer for Floyd’s mix of spin moves, crossover dribbles and floaters. Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, 8 May 2020 Until the End of the World should have been a commercial crossover success, but instead it was cut too short to relay its intended meaning and still didn't find a wide audience. Eric Adams, Wired, 21 Apr. 2020 Nelson and Reilly are also credited with playing key roles in landing YouTube star KSI his first top 10 single in November, and the crossover success of classical pop singers Aled Jones and Russell Watson. Richard Smirke, Billboard, 18 Feb. 2020 The Great British Baking Show has become a crossover success, with American audiences falling in love with the series due to repeat airings on PBS and Netflix. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 16 Jan. 2020 Her music resonated with both New Mexico music and Tejano audiences, with crossover success in both fields, but music outlets in the broader industry did not fully grasp the extent of her successful career within New Mexico music. Mario J. Lucero, Quartz, 3 Jan. 2020
Verb
If there’s a lot of flowing water, like there was in early March, hikers will have to balance on rocks, use a wooden plank or even take big leaps to cross over. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 The song has crossed over to pop radio formats, as well. Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024 The waterway is known for the age-old structures that cross over it: Tower Bridge, London Bridge and Westminster Bridge, to name a few. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 He was believed to be in his late 20s and with a small group of people trying to cross over from Mexico. Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 While one crossed over from country music and the other is crossing over to country, the industry-disrupting superstars have dominated Hollywood by recently setting their business-savvy sights on the film industry. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Ares is expected to spend more time in the real world as a sentient computer program crosses over into the human world not ready for contact. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 She’s done this in flashes throughout her career, but her vision truly sharpened on The Lion King: The Gift, her compilation soundtrack for the 2019 photorealistic Lion King remake that doubled as a love letter to Afrobeats, which was then only just starting to cross over to the global stage. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024 The 32-time Grammy winner recently announced that the second act of her seventh studio album Renaissance would see the star crossing over into the country genre. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crossover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crossover was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near crossover

Cite this Entry

“Crossover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossover. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crossover

noun
cross·​over
ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər
: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

Medical Definition

crossover

1 of 2 noun
cross·​over ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər How to pronounce crossover (audio)
1
: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over
2
: a crossover interchange in an experiment

crossover

2 of 2 adjective
: involving or using interchange of the control group and the experimental group during the course of an experiment
a double-blind crossover study
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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