Definition of "spillover" [spillover]

• The act or an instance of spilling over. (noun)
• An amount or quantity spilled over. (noun)
• A side effect arising from or as if from an unpredicted source: Late trains were a spillover of increased ridership. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "While the imagery and description of the crimes are always very vivid, the real sense of risk to El Pasoans can seem murky, particularly when reading over the debate of the term spillover, which is considered either an imminent threat to the American public or a reality that has been faced by the United States portion of the illegal drug industry for years."
• "Up next what they call the spillover -- the victims here, an American family abducted in Mexico."
• "Up next, what they call the spillover, the victims here, an American family abducted in Mexico."