crossover

noun cross·over \ ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of crossover

1 : crossing 2a

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

See crossover defined for English-language learners

See crossover defined for kids

Examples of crossover in a Sentence

The actor made a smooth crossover to politics.
a rock musician's crossovers into jazz and soul music

Recent Examples of crossover from the Web

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, sacbee, "Got THC on tap? Blue Moon creator plans to brew new beer with weed instead of alcohol | The Sacramento Bee," 30 Mar. 2018
But then along came Americans' penchant for SUVs and crossovers.

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "Nissan's all-new 2019 Altima sedan to offer all-wheel-drive, turbo, ProPilot Assist," 30 Mar. 2018
Even with some success in China, where half of its sales go, Cadillac has struggled stateside because U.S. dealers have had only two SUVs to sell: the XT5 crossover and the Escalade.

— hannah elliott, Bloomberg.com, "Cadillac’s New XT4 Chases Small SUV Stars From Audi, BMW, Porsche," 27 Mar. 2018
Bush said, noting Miller’s 2004 decision to crossover and endorse Bush’s re-election.

— Washington Post, "Presidents praise Zell Miller as friend, servant, example," 27 Mar. 2018
Hopefully this is true because a Harry Potter-Glee real-life crossover would be so, SO amazing.

— shannon barbour, Cosmopolitan, "Emma Watson's New Rumored Relationship Is a 'Harry Potter'-'Glee' Match Made in Heaven," 9 Mar. 2018
Hopefully that means a Bachelor/Survivor crossover of our dreams is coming to television soon.

— melissa locker, Time, "The Bachelor Recap: Bekah Reveals Her Age and Women Eat Worms to Prove Who Loves Arie the Most," 23 Jan. 2018
But by far, the best crossover of the night was at the very end, when Lady Antebellum and Earth, Wind & Fire closed out the show with quite literally a show-stopping performance.

— megan friedman, Country Living, "Lady Antebellum and Earth, Wind & Fire Brought the House Down to Close the CMT Awards," 8 June 2017
Performance crossovers such as the 2018 Audi SQ5 provide the utility of a high-riding hatchback with the adrenaline-pumping verve of a sports car.

— robert duffer, Detroit Free Press, "2018 Audi SQ5 performance crossover lets you be both parent and punk," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crossover.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.