spillover

noun

spill·​over ˈspil-ˌō-vər How to pronounce spillover (audio)
often attributive
1
: the act or an instance of spilling over
2
: a quantity that spills over
3
: an extension of something especially when an excess exists
benefiting from a spillover of prosperity from neighboring states

Examples of spillover in a Sentence

Put a pan under the pie to catch any spillovers. New technology has a positive spillover effect into countless fields.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All this may seem rather academic for the average markets discussion more focused on deflation, industrial overcapacity and spillover into trade tensions. Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 July 2025 Puryear is among a host of scientists who have been monitoring avian influenza strains in wild birds for decades now, on guard for potential spillovers into poultry and humans. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 15 July 2025 The spillover from these policies has won a legion of contests. John Kenneth Galbraith, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 Political trolling online is nothing new, but its spillover into blaming victims and survivors of disaster is a dangerous new low. Nick Allardice, Time, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for spillover

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spillover was in 1940

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spillover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spillover. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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