cross·over
ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər 
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
7
or crossover SUV
: an automotive vehicle that is similar to a sport utility vehicle but built on a car chassis : cuv
What makes crossovers attractive is that most combine the look of an SUV with the more civilized driving characteristics of a car.—
Jonathan Welch
Jonathan Welch1
: having two pieces that cross especially one over the other
a crossover vest
2
: critical sense 2
the crossover point
crossed over; crossing over; crosses over
: 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
Ankit Aggarwal, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Still, his appearance is notable: a rare crossover where the head of one major streamer shows up, in-character, on another’s flagship satire.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 May 2025
Tetris Kelly, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2024
Police believe an eastbound semi was doing a U-turn through the crossover because of a closure caused by the earlier crash.
—Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020
Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Time stands still Back in the car, after crossing over the newer — technically 6.79-mile — Seven Mile Bridge, history buffs will find another impressive railroad ruin: the old steel truss Bahia Honda Bridge.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crossover
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Noun
Done right, however, a crossover brings institutional credibility and builds IPO demand.
—Ankit Aggarwal, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Still, his appearance is notable: a rare crossover where the head of one major streamer shows up, in-character, on another’s flagship satire.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 May 2025
Adjective
From the sticky-sweet lyrics to the colorfully choreographed music video, the song catapulted the already massively popular group to new levels of crossover American success.
—Tetris Kelly, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2024
Police believe an eastbound semi was doing a U-turn through the crossover because of a closure caused by the earlier crash.
—Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020
Verb
Many fees appear to cross over into policy by creating potentially prohibitive costs for people to apply for asylum, Temporary Protected Status, parole and other benefits.
—Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Time stands still Back in the car, after crossing over the newer — technically 6.79-mile — Seven Mile Bridge, history buffs will find another impressive railroad ruin: the old steel truss Bahia Honda Bridge.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crossover
Cite this Entry
“Crossover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossover. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
crossover
1 of 2 noun
cross·over
ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər
1
: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over
2
: a crossover interchange in an experiment
crossover
2 of 2 adjective
: 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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