crossroad

noun

cross·​road ˈkrȯs-ˌrōd 

also -ˈrōd

1

: a road that crosses a main road or runs cross-country between main roads

2

usually crossroads ˈkrȯs-ˌrōdz 

also -ˈrōdz

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

a

: the place of intersection of two or more roads

b(1)

: a small community located at such a crossroads

(2)

: a central meeting place

c

: a crucial point especially where a decision must be made

Synonyms of crossroad

• intersection
• corner
• junction

Examples of crossroad in a Sentence

Traffic was stopped at the crossroad.

We turned onto a crossroad.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sounds filtered in from so many directions, Nelson became a kind of crossroads himself. —Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

Xbox enters its first FBS dance at an existential crossroads, as its parent company tries to figure out what exactly a video game console means in 2025 amid a surge of cloud gaming services and handheld devices. —Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 18 Dec. 2025

Skyrocketing production fees have led to a downturn in the number of dramas made, and an industry at a crossroads. —Kayti Burt, Time, 18 Dec. 2025

Based on Kate Myers’ book Excavation, Dig is centered on four women — one of them played by Poehler — working at an archeological dig in Greece who are at wildly different crossroads in their lives. —Peter White, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for crossroad

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• decode

Kids Definition

crossroad

noun

cross·​road ˈkrȯs-ˌrōd 

-ˈrōd

1

: a road that crosses a main road or runs across country between main roads

2

a

: a place where roads cross

—usually used in plural

b

: a small community at a crossroads

3

: a place or time at which a decision must be made