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

• carrefour
• corner
• crossing
• crossway(s)
• intersection
• junction

Examples of crossroad in a Sentence

Traffic was stopped at the crossroad.

We turned onto a crossroad.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pia Tandon, who's in Manchester, England is at a crossroads in her life. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2024

Long considered one of America’s leading classic car shows, the Detroit Concours is at a crossroad. —Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024

Or is a comeback on the horizon for Paramount Global? More than four years after Shari Redstone won the battle to merge Viacom and CBS, the entertainment mogul is at a crossroads in the M&A soap opera that threatens to envelop her beloved but beleaguered media empire. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024

Their leverage was Iran, the sponsor behind groups like Hezbollah, which by 1990 found itself at a crossroads. —Clay Risen, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024

Rafah is an old crossroads, known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. —Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

Fifteen years later and Disney finds itself at a crossroads, facing a bitter proxy fight with Nelson Peltz and his Trian Partners, who are backed by billions of dollars in Disney stock owned by Perlmutter, all set to come to a head April 3 at Disney’s annual meeting. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024

The town of Bristol exists at a crossroads – it's split by the Virginia-Tennessee border. —USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024

Cold War ‘crossroads’ Wolfgang Kraushaar, a German historian and political scientist who has studied the RAF, says the group was borne out of opposition to capitalism and imperialism. —Sophie Tanno, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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