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cross

cross

39 5.9
An offspring of two different breeds or varieties
  • noun
  • /krɔs/
  • Specialized
: cruce
  • This plant is a cross that combines the hardiness of a cactus with the beauty of a flowering succulent.
  • cross PI567476 x SS97

It almost seems like a cross between these and these.

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Examples

  • Yeah, it's like it's a, it's a cross between a spoon and a fork.

  • A cross between a grocery store and a pharmacy.

  • It almost seems like a cross between these and these.

  • Now, as you can see, in the third generation, or third cross, no trace of native origin is apparent.

  • This is like some weird cross between a Cheeto and peanut butter.

  • In essence, the spotted cattle are a cross between domesticated cattle and wild animals.

    Academic text (1990)
  • It's a cross between dominoes and five-card stud.

  • She's like a cross between Jaja Gabor and Lucille Ball.

  • A Labrador is often a cross between two distinct breeds, resulting in a friendly and energetic dog.

  • The new apple variety is a cross between a sweet Fuji and a tart Granny Smith.

Synonyms

breeding
vscross
  • Specialized
104 3.1

The process of producing new animals or plants by choosing which ones mate

is narrower when referring specifically to mixing different species or varieties
hybrid
vscross
56 3.8

An animal or plant born from parents of different species, like a mule

also refers to the mating process as well as the offspring in one word
interbreeding
vscross
4 6.2

Animals or plants from different groups produce mixed young

is broader, naming both the breeding act and the hybrid product
hybridization
vscross
  • Specialized
4 6.1

Breeding two different plants or animals to make offspring with mixed traits

includes that process and additionally names the hybrid offspring itself
crossbreeding
vscross
2 4.4

Mixing different kinds of animals or plants to make young with chosen traits

covers general mixing but also refers to the offspring as well as the act
crossbreed
vscross
1 4.1

An animal or plant born from parents of different breeds, like a mule

is used both for that offspring and for the act that produced it
crossing
vscross
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Breeding two different plants or animals to make a hybrid

is the same term used for both the act and the offspring produced
hybridizing
vscross
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Crossing different plants or animals to make new kinds

covers that same acting process and also the resulting offspring
outcross
vscross
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A mating of animals or plants from different genetic lines, including the young it produces

is a general word that likewise covers both act and resulting organism
outcrossing
vscross
  • Specialized
1 8.2

Breeding animals or plants from different groups to increase gene variety

focuses more generally on both the act and the offspring without that goal
intercrossing
vscross
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A process in which different breeds or groups mate to make hybrid young

is the same idea but used both for the act and the resulting organism
crossbred
vscross
1 4.6

An animal or plant born from parents of different breeds, often from different varieties

also names the breeding process as well as the produced individual
hybridism
vscross
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A process of making something new by joining two different species or languages

is more general and also used for the offspring rather than only the condition
mongrelization
vscross
9.1

Mixing different breeds to make animals or plants with mixed traits

is broader, naming both that mixing process and the mixed offspring itself

Antonyms

purebred
  • Specialized
10 4.6

Has parents and grandparents from the same family line without mixing with other animals

Idioms

11 7.2

A hard burden someone must live with

to cross swords
  • Informal
6 6.8

Argue strongly with someone, often in public

3 8.5

To take a decisive action that you cannot change later

To pay careful attention to small details when finishing a task

To promise honestly that you are telling the truth

to cross the aisle
  • Literature
2 6.5

To work with members of the other party, often by voting with them

1 6.7

Act with different goals so people cannot work well together

1 6.3

To go past a limit people set and cause serious problems

to cross the Styx
  • Literature
1 9.9

To die or come close to death, often said in poems

To meet someone unexpectedly, often by chance

To deal with a problem only when it happens, not before

To have less money than needed to buy basic food and pay bills

To give someone money to get a favor, often as a bribe

To pay someone for a service, especially to have them tell your future

Compounds

146 1.6

An international group that gives food, shelter, and medical help in wars and disasters

double cross
  • Informal
60 6.6

To betray someone after pretending to help them

58 7.6

The opposing lawyer questions a witness in court to test their story

26 2.8

A race across fields, woods, and hills instead of on a track

cross section
  • Specialized
20 4.1

A group chosen to represent a larger population

12 7.3

A person who wears clothes usually worn by the other gender to express themselves

cross section
  • Specialized
11 3.7

A surface or shape made by cutting through an object across its longest part

8 2.6

A street that crosses a main road at a corner

Wearing clothes usually worn by the opposite sex

A short Christian gesture moving the hand to trace a cross to show faith

To ski long distances across open countryside rather than down hills

Navy Cross
  • Formal
5 6.0

A medal given to people in the US Navy for very brave actions in battle

cross-section
  • Specialized
5 5.3

Showing the inside shape you see when you cut something across, like a tree trunk

A note in a book that tells you where to find related information

A situation where people misunderstand each other and act in opposite ways

A small group of stars that makes a cross shape in the southern sky

cross hair
  • Specialized
4 5.5

Fine crossing lines in a sight or microscope used to aim

4 4.2

A way of sewing small X shapes into cloth to make pictures

A United States military medal given for heroism or great achievement in flying

A series of 14 prayers and pictures remembering Jesus' walk to the cross

A high military medal given to United States Army soldiers for very brave actions in battle

Sharing ideas between different groups to create new things

cross-pollination
  • Specialized
1 3.4

Pollen moving from one flower to another to make seeds

1 6.6

A British medal that people in the military receive for great bravery in battle

A small sweet roll with dried fruit and a cross on top eaten at Easter

1 3.7

A small sweet roll with spices, raisins, and a cross of icing on top

1 3.9

Going at an angle across the court from one side to the other

cross section
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A measure of how likely two particles are to interact in physics

Knowledge and respect for cultural differences that helps people live or work together

1 5.6

The sharing of ideas between different groups that creates useful new ideas

Going on a horse across fields and rough land while jumping natural obstacles

An image in a church showing a part of Jesus's final journey to the place where he died

1 4.1

A shot played at an angle across the court from one side to the other

1 3.6

A group of people from different parts of a company who work together on one project

cross-link
  • Texting
1 4.0

A link between two web pages or documents that helps users move between them

1 7.0

A cross with a round ring where the bars meet that appears in Christian art

A cross on three steps that represents the hill where Jesus died on a cross

A Latin cross set on three steps often on gravestones or altars

1 5.1

A cross with a long upright arm and short horizontal arms used as a Christian symbol

1 6.8

A note in a book that points to related information in another part

cross-eye
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A condition where one or both eyes turn in toward the nose

An X-shaped design made by two equal diagonal bars used as a flag or sign

Northern Cross
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A group of five bright stars shaped like a cross in the constellation Cygnus

Mixing ideas from different people or fields to make new solutions

A cross with four equal arms shaped like broad arrowheads that meet at the center

A sport where riders guide horses over natural ground and solid obstacles to test riding skill and endurance

A cross with two bars, the lower bar longer than the upper, used as a symbol of Lorraine

A small bush with yellow or apricot flowers that have four petals formed like a cross

cross-linguistic
  • Specialized
1 8.2

Relating to more than one language, often comparing grammar or sounds

1 9.3

A Christian symbol shaped like the letter T often seen in art

1 4.8

Work that uses methods and ideas from two or more subjects to study a problem

cross product
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A vector at right angles to two other vectors in three-dimensional space found by multiplying them

1 5.6

A cross with four arms that are the same length used in Christian art and church buildings

reciprocal cross
  • Specialized
1 9.3

Breed two organisms both ways, switching parents' genes to see if a trait depends on parent sex

A way of sorting things into groups using two or more features at the same time

cross-fertilization
  • Specialized
1 5.6

The joining of an egg and sperm from different individuals of the same species

1 5.4

An infection a patient gets in a hospital from another person or things there

A cross with four equal arms each ending in a small cross used as a Christian symbol

1 9.8

A stone cross in a town market square where people meet and hear announcements

cross-classification
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A way of grouping items by two or more features at the same time

cross-ply
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A tire with diagonal cloth layers that make the tread flexible and the sides stiff

cross wire
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Thin crossed lines in devices like a telescope or microscope that help you aim

A cross with two horizontal bars, the upper shorter, that people use as a symbol of Lorraine and resistance

1 8.9

A cross with three horizontal bars that stands for the Pope

A garden plant with clusters of bright red flowers

cross vine
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A woody climbing plant with bright orange-red flowers and stems that show a cross shape when cut

A route of rivers and canals across Florida that lets boats travel between the Atlantic and the Gulf

cross bit
  • Specialized
8.9

A drill tool with cutting edges in the shape of a cross for drilling hard rock

cross-linkage
  • Specialized
7.5

A bond between two nearby chains of atoms that makes a molecule stronger

A small European shrub with pink bell-shaped flowers and leaves in groups of four

Mixing ideas from different fields to create new or better results

A person who shows strong religious respect for the Christian cross

cross-sentential
  • Specialized
9.6

Connecting words or ideas across more than one sentence

How Often

to inbreed
  • Specialized
1 7.7
to backcross
  • Specialized
1 9.9
to recross
  • Specialized
1 8.6
cross
  • Specialized
39 5.9

Surface Forms

cross singular
crosses plural

Etymology

Cross (noun, breeding) in biology means a hybrid made by joining two varieties, like two lines meeting to make a new shape. So a 'cross' offspring is the product of those two parents coming together.