Meaning & use
intersection
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A place where two or more roads cross or join.
Grammar: American English often uses it for a junction; British English commonly says junction.
Patterns
- at the intersection of something and something
- an intersection with something
Stop at the intersection and look both ways.
A new traffic light was installed at the busy intersection.
The cafe sits at the intersection of Main Street and Oak Avenue.
nouncountable or uncountablemathematics
The point or set of points shared by lines, shapes or sets in mathematics.
Grammar: Used in geometry and set theory: the intersection of two sets.
Patterns
- the intersection of A and B
The intersection of the two lines is the point (2, 3).
The intersection of sets An and B contains only the shared elements.
The circles overlap, and their intersection looks like a lens.
nouncountablefigurative
The place where different subjects, groups or ideas overlap or meet.
Grammar: Used with of: the intersection of art and technology.
Patterns
- at the intersection of something and something
The course sits at the intersection of biology and computing.
Her work explores the intersection of race and class.
The festival is at the intersection of music and film.
Word forms
| plural | intersections |
|---|
Common combinations
- busy intersection
- The accident happened at a busy intersection.
- at the intersection of
- The studio stands at the intersection of art and science.
- cross an intersection
- Pedestrians crossed the intersection on the green light.
- four-way intersection
- We stopped at a four-way intersection and took turns.
- intersection of two lines
- Mark the intersection of the two lines with a dot.
Synonyms and how they differ
- junction
- Junction is the usual British word for where roads meet, and it also fits railways.
- crossroads
- Crossroads means a place where two roads cross, and also suggests a moment of decision.
- crossing
- Crossing often names the place where pedestrians or rail lines cross a road, a narrower idea.
- overlap
- Overlap suits shared areas or topics, while intersection suggests a definite meeting point or boundary.
Opposites
Word family
- intersect verb
- to cross or meet at a point
- intersecting adjective
- crossing each other
- intersectional adjective
- concerning overlapping social identities
- intersectionality noun
- the way social categories like race and gender overlap
- section noun
- a separate part of something
Commonly confused: intersection or interaction? intersection or section?
intersection vs interaction
Interaction is how people or things act on each other. An intersection is a place or point where they meet or cross.
intersection vs section
A section is one part of a whole, while an intersection is where two things cross.
Practice
The two roads cross at the ____ near the school, where a traffic light was recently installed.
Choose one answer.
An intersection is where roads cross. The other nouns look similar but have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intersection”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.