cross·over
ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər 
2
: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over
3
: a voter registered as a member of one political party who votes in the primary of the other party
4
: a broadening of the popular appeal of an artist (such as a musician) that is often the result of a change of the artist's medium or style
also
: an artist or artistic work that has achieved a crossover
5
: an instance of breaking into another category
6
: a basketball maneuver in which a player dribbles the ball quickly from one hand to the other
7
or crossover SUV
: an automotive vehicle that is similar to a sport utility vehicle but built on a car chassis : cuv
What makes crossovers attractive is that most combine the look of an SUV with the more civilized driving characteristics of a car.—
Jonathan Welch
Jonathan Welch1
: having two pieces that cross especially one over the other
a crossover vest
2
: critical sense 2
the crossover point
crossed over; crossing over; crosses over
: to reach a broader audience by a change of medium or style
a country singer crossing over to the pop charts
Examples of crossover in a Sentence
Noun
The actor made a smooth crossover to politics.
a rock musician's crossovers into jazz and soul music
Recent Examples on the WebThomas Waller, WWD, 2 July 2024
Debicki, who scored just about every possible nomination for her turn as Princess Diana in Netflix’s prestige series The Crown, takes a supporting role as a feminist B-movie director who casts Maxine in her first crossover project, a satanic possession film titled The Puritan II.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2024
Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020
Kingdom Hearts is a wildly popular series featuring a crossover world of Square Enix and Disney characters.
—Thuy Ong, Bloomberg.com, 19 May 2020
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 27 June 2024
The 89-year-old at the time crossed over 14 states and 1,400 miles.
—Jessika Harkay, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for crossover 
Noun
The spring 2024 runways showed a wide range of options, strappy crossover sandals paired with loose denim at Lemaire, or fisherman-style shoes at Hermès styled with cashmere cardigans and relaxed fit pants.
—Thomas Waller, WWD, 2 July 2024
Debicki, who scored just about every possible nomination for her turn as Princess Diana in Netflix’s prestige series The Crown, takes a supporting role as a feminist B-movie director who casts Maxine in her first crossover project, a satanic possession film titled The Puritan II.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2024
Adjective
Police believe an eastbound semi was doing a U-turn through the crossover because of a closure caused by the earlier crash.
—Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020
Kingdom Hearts is a wildly popular series featuring a crossover world of Square Enix and Disney characters.
—Thuy Ong, Bloomberg.com, 19 May 2020
Verb
The worlds of fashion and motor racing continue to cross over.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 27 June 2024
The 89-year-old at the time crossed over 14 states and 1,400 miles.
—Jessika Harkay, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for crossover
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crossover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crossover
Cite this Entry
“Crossover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossover. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
crossover
1 of 2 noun
cross·over
ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər
1
: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over
2
: a crossover interchange in an experiment
crossover
2 of 2 adjective
: involving or using interchange of the control group and the experimental group during the course of an experiment
a double-blind crossover study
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