crossover

noun

cross·over | \ ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər

Definition of crossover

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : crossing sense 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

crossover

adjective

Definition of crossover (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : having two pieces that cross especially one over the other a crossover vest

2 : critical sense 2 the crossover point

cross over

verb

crossed over; crossing over; crosses over

Definition of cross over (Entry 3 of 3)

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

The crossovers have been well-received by audiences and critics. — Washington Post, "Marvel’s involvement in ‘Spider-Man’ movies may be in doubt," 20 Aug. 2019 The crossovers are kind: Rutgers (road), Maryland and Penn State. — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Column: 6 teams can win the Big Ten West (sorry, Illinois). Here are reasons to believe in each of them — and reasons to doubt.," 19 Aug. 2019 The crossover is evident in Montrose, a recreation hub nestled in the Uncompahgre Valley on Colorado's western slope. — Jennifer Oldham, Anchorage Daily News, "In first states to legalize pot, teen use triggers concerns," 17 June 2019 The project, modeled after Marvel’s Phase 1 films, which had culminated in 2012’s The Avengers, was unprecedented; small-screen crossovers were rare events, and the CW’s superhero universe had barely begun to form. — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, "The Marvel-Netflix Universe’s Final Hero," 14 June 2019 Called the Tarek in South America and the Tharu in China, this crossover is slightly smaller than the Tiguan and will receive a different name for the U.S. market. — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, "This Is Volkswagen's New Small SUV for America," 20 May 2019 The gas-electric version of Toyota’s small crossover is quicker and more responsive, more powerful and more capable and smarter about packaging (the new battery pack doesn’t intrude on rear cargo space). — WSJ, "2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: Great Performance, Even Better Fuel Economy," 19 Apr. 2019 Another great crossover from the auto-body industry is the scouring pastes that clean and abrade a surface at the same time. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "10 Smart Spray Painting Tips for a Great-Looking Paint Job," 11 Mar. 2019 In an era when luxury crossovers often emphasize performance, the wheel openings are usually filled with big wheels and fat tires. — Frank A. Aukofer, Houston Chronicle, "2019 Cadillac XT4 is the puppy Escalade," 9 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

If Haggard artistically serves as his North Star, Gill’s wife Grant, a long-time Christian music and pop-crossover artist, is the personal constant in both his life and music. — Chrissie Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Vince Gill gets open and personal on his latest album, ‘Okie’," 6 Sep. 2019 The other acts set to perform include fellow Red House Records artist Eliza Gilkyson (Oct. 11), classical crossover duo the OK Factor (Nov. 15) and singer/songwriter Carrie Elkin (Dec. 20). — Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, "Lenny Kravitz on Prince: ‘I wish I could be back in the cold, spending time with him’," 5 Sep. 2019 One of the hottest names in hip hop in the early ‘90s, Naughty By Nature was also one of a select few hip-hop acts to have multiple tracks crossover into mainstream popularity, placing four tracks into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. — Chip Mccabe, courant.com, "One can’t-miss band for every day at The Big E," 3 Sep. 2019 Skaggs tells Billboard the video was intended to address criticism that Skaggs had strayed too far from his traditional roots with his crossover style. — Dave Brooks, Billboard, "Ricky Skaggs on Bill Monroe's Legacy, 'Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music' Doc Airing Tonight on PBS," 30 Aug. 2019 The country-crossover singer walked away from the store with more than just some new portraits though. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Kacey Musgraves Is Championing This Small L.A. Business—One Dreamy Photoshoot at a Time," 29 Aug. 2019 That catch launched Beckham to a stratosphere of crossover fame previously the domain of NBA players. — SI.com, "NFL 100: A Century of Pro Football," 28 Aug. 2019 Another interesting aspect of Clarkston’s schedule is that its Week 3 Oakland Activities Association crossover game is Oak Park. — Mick Mccabe, Detroit Free Press, "Son of Swami predicts 2019 Michigan high school football state champions," 24 Aug. 2019 The trailer plays up the space opera/spaghetti Western crossover vibe. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "A lone gunman roams a galaxy in chaos in first trailer for The Mandalorian," 24 Aug. 2019

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.