crossover

noun cross·over \ ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 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

Assuming Tesla doesn’t stretch the Model 3’s 113.2-inch wheelbase, the Y’s likeliest competitors in price and size will be smaller crossovers like the BMW X3 and Acura MDX.

— matthew jancer, Popular Mechanics, "Everything We Know About the Tesla Model Y," 11 July 2018
And while there has been some minor crossover between professional football and MMA – big-show veterans such as Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub chiefly among them – there hasn’t exactly been a rush of NFL talent making its way to combat sports.

— staff, USA TODAY, "Ex-NFL players Greg Hardy, Austen Lane to fight at Dana White’s Contender Series 9," 12 June 2018
Why yes, that is Volvo’s new subcompact crossover, the first of the 40-series models built on the Compact Modular Architecture.

— dan neil, WSJ, "2019 Volvo XC40: Routine Ride, Premium Price," 8 June 2018
And yes, there might be some crossover, says Parasidis.

— leslie nemo, Bon Appetit, "How the FDA's New Definition for "Natural" Food Could Affect Your Pantry," 30 Apr. 2018
Women globally are favoring that long, lean look; there was some crossover between Eastern and Western tastes.

— emily farra, Vogue, "Amidst Sweeping Social Changes and Women’s Rights Reforms, Saudi Arabia Hosted Its First-Ever Fashion Week," 17 Apr. 2018
View 19 Photos What the modern yuppie will get in the X2 xDrive28i is a 3705-pound crossover with room for five and their $15 kale smoothies.

— Car and Driver, "2018 BMW X2 xDrive28i," 27 Mar. 2018
The first step is a hanging crossover—the kind DeRozan uses all the time to rev up for a drive.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "Breakaway: How DeMar DeRozan Keeps Defenses Guessing," 26 Feb. 2018
Yeah, this is the crossover that totally needs to happen.

— alexis nedd, Cosmopolitan, "7 More TV Crossovers That Should Definitely Happen," 5 Jan. 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.

First Known Use of crossover

1884

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

crossover

adjective

Definition of crossover

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

a crossover vest

2 : critical 2

the crossover point

Recent Examples of crossover from the Web

True, the subcompact Kicks’ high stance and body styling evoke a crossover SUV.

— al haas, Philly.com, "Nissan's Kicks is a cute, useful hatchback, not a crossover," 5 July 2018
Tesla plans an electric semi truck, a crossover vehicle and a new manufacturing plant in China.

— russ mitchell, latimes.com, "Tesla turns back effort to remove Elon Musk from chairman seat; directors win new terms," 5 June 2018
But with Americans rapidly transitioning to crossover vehicles, SUVs and pickup trucks, fuel-sipping passenger cars are falling by the wayside.

— nathan bomey, USA TODAY, "With gas prices going up, what's it cost to fill up your car," 13 May 2018
Two years ago, Ohio Republicans spun the number of crossover voters -- those who previously voted a Democratic primary ballot -- as new Republicans.

— jackie borchardt, cleveland.com, "Does Tuesday's primary turnout point to a 'blue wave' coming in Ohio?," 9 May 2018
The changes include getting rid of all cars in the region during the next four years except for the Mustang sports car and a compact Focus crossover vehicle, CEO Jim Hackett said as the company released first-quarter earnings.

— CBS News, "Mustang, Focus crossover will be only Ford models on the market in North America by 2020," 25 Apr. 2018
In the race's final weeks, Tipirneni argued that crossover voters would keep the race close and give her a shot at an upset.

— author: david weigel, john wagner, Anchorage Daily News, "Republican wins closely watched special election in Arizona," 25 Apr. 2018
In the Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series category, Viola Davis snatched a nomination for her part in that Scandal/HTGAWM crossover episode, and Samira Wiley joins her for her role as Moira in Handmaids Tale.

— refinery29.com, "Issa Rae Finally Got An Emmy Nod & I Can't Stop Crying," 12 July 2018
For the first time, the founder and president of CEO Gaming had turned his annual Fighting Game Championship into a crossover event, promoting a New Japan Pro-Wrestling showcase to go along with the video-game extravaganza.

— jay reddick, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Daytona event brings together video-game and pro-wrestling enthusiasts," 5 July 2018

First Known Use of crossover

1893

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

cross over

verb

Definition of cross over

intransitive verb

: to reach a broader audience by a change of medium or style

a country singer crossing over to the pop charts

First Known Use of cross over

1973

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

CROSSOVER Defined for English Language Learners

crossover

noun

Definition of crossover for English Language Learners

: a change from one style or type of activity to another

Medical Dictionary

crossover

noun cross·over \ ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər \

medical Definition of crossover

1 : an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

2 : a crossover interchange in an experiment

crossover

adjective

medical Definition of crossover

: involving or using interchange of the control group and the experimental group during the course of an experiment

a double-blind crossover study

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Definition of crossover

Examples of crossover in a Sentence

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crossover

Definition of crossover

Recent Examples of crossover from the Web

First Known Use of crossover

cross over

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First Known Use of cross over

CROSSOVER Defined for English Language Learners

crossover

Definition of crossover for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

crossover

medical Definition of crossover

crossover

medical Definition of crossover

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