# intersection

/ˌɪntɝˈsɛkʃən/ (US) · /ˌɪntəsˈɛkʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/intersection
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. road junction

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

a place where two or more roads cross each other.

For teachers: the junction where two or more paths, streets, or highways meet or cross.

- Be careful when you drive through the intersection because the lights are broken.
- The city council approved the installation of a new roundabout at the busy intersection to reduce the frequency of traffic accidents.

Usage: Commonly used in North American English where British speakers might say 'crossroads' or 'junction'.

### 2. overlap of ideas

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

a point where two different things, like ideas or groups of people, come together.

For teachers: a point or area of overlap, confluence, or crossover between distinct categories or concepts.

- The book explores the intersection of art and technology in the modern world.
- Her research focuses on the intersection of environmental policy and social justice, examining how climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable communities.

### 3. geometry and sets

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the point where two lines meet, or the items that two different groups have in common.

For teachers: the set of points common to two geometric figures, or the set containing all elements common to two or more sets.

- The intersection of the two lines is marked with the letter X on the graph.
- In set theory, the intersection of sets A and B contains only the elements that appear in both groups.

### 4. skating move

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a move in team ice skating where skaters pass through each other's lines.

For teachers: a technical element in synchronized skating where two or more lines of skaters pass through one another.

- The team performed a perfect intersection during their long program.
- The judges awarded high marks for the technical difficulty of the angled intersection, noting the precise spacing between the skaters.

## Examples

- Turn left at the next intersection.
- The accident happened at the busy intersection because one driver failed to stop at the red light.
- The city planners are redesigning the major intersection to include dedicated bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings to reduce the frequency of collisions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.