crossroad

noun

cross·​road ˈkrȯs-ˌrōd 

 also  -ˈrōd

1

: a road that crosses a main road or runs cross-country between main roads

2

usually crossroads ˈkrȯs-ˌrōdz 

 also  -ˈrōdz

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

a

: the place of intersection of two or more roads

b(1)

: a small community located at such a crossroads

(2)

: a central meeting place

c

: a crucial point especially where a decision must be made

Synonyms

• intersection
• corner
• junction

Examples of crossroad in a Sentence

Traffic was stopped at the crossroad.

We turned onto a crossroad.

Recent Examples on the Web

New York is a crossroads for them at the edge of the continent, like a traffic circle with east-west routes running along the ocean or north-south routes going up the harbor or to New Jersey. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

The crossroads sustainable fashion now finds itself at could rebalance trust in green claims, giving companies with less genuine impact investment an easy way out, Allweiss says, and making space for the truly committed to step up and be properly acknowledged. —Bella Webb, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025

Geralt and his companions are at a literal crossroads. —Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025

The timing couldn’t have been better; my life was at a crossroads. —Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for crossroad

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• decode

Kids Definition

crossroad

noun

cross·​road ˈkrȯs-ˌrōd 

-ˈrōd

1

: a road that crosses a main road or runs across country between main roads

2

a

: a place where roads cross

—usually used in plural

b

: a small community at a crossroads

3

: a place or time at which a decision must be made