spillover

noun

spill·​over ˈspil-ˌō-vər 

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

Albert Williams, an economist at Nova Southeastern University, says returning the energy sector to its heyday would have a dramatic spillover effect in a country in which oil is the dominant industry, sparking the opening of restaurants, stores and other businesses. —Regina Garcia Cano, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2026

Albert Williams, an economist at Nova Southeastern University, says returning the energy sector to its heyday would have a dramatic spillover effect in a country in which oil is the dominant industry, sparking the opening of restaurants, stores and other businesses. —Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026

The government also expects the program to generate spillover benefits for civilian aerospace technologies over the long term. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025

While the protest was directly in response to the Israeli government and its war in Gaza, some Jews in Australia fear such demonstrations can lead to a spillover of hate aimed at local targets. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spillover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover