spillback

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noun

The blockage of an intersection by traffic as a result of the traffic lights changing and preventing progress.

Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounspillback (countable and uncountable, plural spillbacks)

plural spillbacks

  1. countableuncountableThe blockage of an intersection by traffic as a result of the traffic lights changing and preventing progress.
  2. countableuncountableepidemiologyThe spread of an infectious pathogen from humans to non-human animals.

Origin

From spill + back.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

spillback. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spillback

MLA

“spillback.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spillback. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spillback,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spillback.

Source: spillback on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.