intersect

American  

[in-ter-sekt] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to cut or divide by passing through or across.

   The highway intersects the town.

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verb (used without object)

1. to cross, as lines or wires.

2. Geometry. to have one or more points in common.

   intersecting lines.

intersect British  

/ ˌɪntəˈsɛkt /

verb

1. to divide, cut, or mark off by passing through or across

2. (esp of roads) to cross (each other)

3. maths (often foll by with) to have one or more points in common (with another configuration)

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Other Word Forms

• nonintersecting adjective
• self-intersecting adjective
• unintersected adjective
• unintersecting adjective

Etymology

Origin of intersect

1605–15; < Latin intersectus, past participle of intersecāre “to cut through, sever”; inter- ( def. ), -sect ( def. )

Example Sentences

But the key point where these arcs intersect is pretty flimsy, hinging on convincing us that Grace, the greatest guy in the universe, has a personality defect that we don’t believe.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Those forces, she said, intersect directly with the Fed’s dual mandate.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

How can we do a better job of explaining how race and class intersect?

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

These particles then follow Earth's magnetic field lines, some of which extend far enough into space to intersect the moon's orbit.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026

You’re going this way because you want to intersect with the moon’s path, but the moon is going that way.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

• converge
• cross