noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

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

Etymology

From spill + back.

Related phrases

traffic light

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.