spillover

noun, often attributive spill·over \ ˈspil-ˌō-vər \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: spillover in a Sentence

Definition of spillover

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

See spillover defined for English-language learners

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 of spillover from the Web

The World Bank found that just a trade war between the United States and China could have a spillover effect on industrial supply chains around the world, hurting everything from labor markets to investment activities.

— NBC News, "Trump's policies could have 'severe consequences' worldwide, say global economists," 7 June 2018
Those kinds of rules could have spillover benefits to people outside of Europe, and could similarly influence how companies conduct business regardless of the country.

— arielle pardes, WIRED, "Europe's New Data Protections Will Affect You Too. Here's How.," 24 May 2018
Because high-technology acquisitions often generate spillover benefits for the Chinese military, its SWFs are often willing to pay distortive prices, far above what the free market would dictate.

— peter navarro, WSJ, "China’s Faux Comparative Advantage," 15 Apr. 2018
Other researchers have considered the spillover effects of non-compete agreements for the wider economy.

— The Economist, "Lawmakers are trying to curb contracts that make it harder to change jobs," 17 May 2018
Here, at the intersection of recreational genetic genealogy and personal health information, is where direct-to-consumer companies are generating some unintended spillover effects that consumers may not be prepared for.

— catharine wang, BostonGlobe.com, "The dodgy world of do-it-yourself genetics," 18 May 2018
Lebanon has been suffering for years from spillover of Syria’s seven-year civil war and the flow of more than a million refugees, or nearly a quarter of the tiny country’s population, putting pressure on an already crumbling infrastructure.

— Washington Post, "Senior Lebanese politician calls for quick new government," 11 May 2018
The huge stakes of the partisan struggle have all kinds of spillover effects, one of which is to raise the social and professional costs of holding fellow members of your coalition to account.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Liberal Media Need Conservative Columnists," 10 May 2018
The spillover into financial services adds a new layer of complexity to one of the world’s most perplexing diplomatic feuds.

— nicolas parasie, WSJ, "Banks Forced Into Qatar-Saudi Feud," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spillover.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.