crossroads

noun

plural of crossroad
1
as in intersection
a place where roads meet the fast-food chain has a restaurant at practically every crossroads

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action we've come to a crossroads, and we have to make a decision

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of crossroads Jeffries, who is poised to become the House speaker if his party wins power and would be the first Democrat to wield the gavel since Pelosi, faces a party at a crossroads. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Although geopolitical analysts love to talk about turning points, crossroads, and dilemmas, many governments have a prosaic tendency to defy these dramatic predictions and muddle through. — Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Daltrey just began a run of solo dates in America, and Townshend is recovering from a knee replacement surgery that forced him to cancel an appearance at Eric Clapton’s crossroads festival in Austin, Texas, later this month. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026 Before Syria’s civil war began, in 2011, the country had served as a commercial crossroads between Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and the Mediterranean, connecting Gulf states to European markets. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 At the crossroads Ternus will be Apple’s eighth CEO in a line of succession that has largely reflected the company’s needs at a particular moment. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Entering his third season, Allen is at a crossroads after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 4 last year. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 Matt Rhule is safe, but Nebraska is at somewhat of a crossroads. — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Engelbert has certainly guided the league into its most financially stable era, but this is a complicated crossroads requiring delicate steering. — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crossroads
  1. intersection
  2. crisis
  3. corner
  4. junction
Noun
  • Robert and Mary Murray lived out in the country, north of British New York, at the future intersection of 37th and Park, atop an actual hill.
    — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Near the intersection of Olive Street and East Sixth Street in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast sits Nelson’s home, which has been in the family for generations.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of intersection
Noun
  • The climate crisis is making certain types of extreme weather events both more frequent and more severe.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • State health authorities who have been fighting the opioid crisis for decades are still surprised by the drop, said Evan Gumas, a senior research associate at the Commonwealth Fund.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • Civilian infrastructure failed or disappeared, telecommunications broke down, and hundreds of thousands of people were stranded in what was already a relatively remote, rugged corner of the country.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • But apart from that, there’s the matter of just how awfully spirit-lifting her earth-angel mezzo-soprano tends to be, even when backing herself into dark corners before backing her way back out again.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of corner
Noun
  • Concrete is important again here, dictating the lack of material variation throughout the museum, the uniform thickness of the gallery walls, and the minimal slots of light at the junctions of many walls and ceilings.
    — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The measurements showed that internal dendrites formed at defects such as pores and grain-boundary junctions.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of junction

Browse Nearby Words

crossroad
crossroads
cross section
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Cite this Entry

“Crossroads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crossroads. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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