junction

noun

junc·​tion ˈjəŋ(k)-shən 

1

: an act of joining : the state of being joined

2

a

: a place or point of meeting

b

: an intersection of roads especially where one terminates

c

: a point (as in a thermocouple) at which dissimilar metals make contact

d

: an interface in a semiconductor device between regions with different electrical characteristics

3

: something that joins

junctional

ˈjəŋ(k)-sh(ə-)nəl

 

adjective

Synonyms

• intersection
• juncture

Examples of junction in a Sentence

a junction of nerves and muscle

the junction of Route 12 and Route 87

Recent Examples on the Web

The gunmen, who arrived at the junction in a vehicle carrying weapons, ammunition and a knife, shot at dozens of people waiting near buses in the area. —Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

Members of Israel's ZAKA search and rescue emergency services collect samples at the scene of a shooting at the Ramot road junction in east Jerusalem on September 8, 2025. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

Surprisingly, cognitive decline in healthy aging isn't as simple as neurons dying, but rather neurons losing their spark at the synapse, the tiny junctions where signals leap from cell to cell. —Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction formed by the former Tethys Ocean and now squeezed together between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. —David Bressan, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin junction-, junctio, from jungere to join — more at yoke

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing junction

• box junction
• gap junction
• Josephson junction

Rhymes for junction

• function
• unction
• adjunction
• compunction
• conjunction
• disjunction
• dysfunction
• injunction
• inunction
• malfunction
• eigenfunction
• multifunction

Kids Definition

junction

noun

junc·​tion ˈjəŋ(k)-shən 

1

: an act of joining : the state of being joined

2

: a place or point of meeting

a railroad junction

Medical Definition

junction

noun

junc·​tion ˈjəŋ(k)-shən 

: a place or point of meeting

the structure of the synaptic junction as revealed by electron microscopy

see neuromuscular junction

junctional

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective