cross-pollination

noun

cross-pol·​li·​na·​tion ˌkrȯs-ˌpä-lə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: the transfer of pollen from one flower to the stigma of another

2

: cross-fertilization sense 2

cross-pollination of fantasy and realism

Examples of cross-pollination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Valley overlaps geographically with the hippie homeland of San Francisco, Berkeley, and their environs, and there’s long been cross-pollination, if not orgiastic copulation, between the two spheres. —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

Though views diverged from one person to the next, there were obvious areas of overlap that allowed for discussion and cross-pollination. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025

Starting from seed can be unreliable due to cross-pollination among different varieties. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025

That gives the creative team ample freedom to flesh out their vision of Derry, all while paying tribute to the breadth of King's vast oeuvre, which, by virtue of the author's penchant for cross-pollination, lends itself to Easter eggs. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cross-pollination

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

cross-pollination

noun

cross-pol·​li·​na·​tion

ˌkrȯ-ˌspäl-ə-ˈnā-shən

: the transfer of pollen from one flower to the stigma of another