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to cross

to cross

1.0
To go across something from one side to the other
  • verb
  • /krɔs/
translation icon : cruzar
  • Every morning, many children cross the busy road to get to school.
  • cross the border
  • cross the street
  • cross the line

The blue points are where the graph crosses the Y axis.

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Examples

  • You need to wait for the signal before you can cross the street safely.

  • You need to be able to cross the street by yourself.

  • Nobody knows how many people die trying to cross the border every year.

    Academic text (2011)
  • They seem to cross the road at will.

  • I didn't know how to cross the huge streets.

  • Tribesmen from both sides of the border continue to cross freely, often using hidden mountain tracks.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Dave paid for the drinks, then crossed the lobby, heading for the stairs.

    Academic text (2008)
  • From there, we skirt the coast of Algeria and cross the Mediterranean into Spain.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Some of those trying to cross the borders are minors entering without an adult caretaker.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In this photo, lions cross the Zambesi River on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to pass
vsto cross
1.0

To move past something or someone

can mean that movement or also meeting or extending over an area
to cover
vsto cross
192 3.3

To go across an area or distance

is the core action, but also includes meeting or intersecting senses
to sweep
vsto cross
127 2.3

To extend across a large area or long distance

is usually a focused action of moving or meeting over something
to get over
vsto cross
100 3.3

Move across something like a river or mountain

covers that travel but also includes meeting or intersecting senses
to span
vsto cross
  • Specialized
98 3.4

To stretch across an area or period of time

is the active moving form rather than passive reaching
to move through
vsto cross
80 2.1

Pass from one point to another during a journey or process

adds the sense of meeting or extending beyond simple movement
to get across
vsto cross
53 1.8

Move from one side to the other, for example across a road or river

is the broader action that can also mean meet or extend over something
to cut through
vsto cross
51 3.0

To go straight across a place, for example through land or a crowd

is wider, covering normal passing or meeting rather than forcing a way
to intersect
vsto cross
47 3.9

To cross or meet at one point, like two roads

is broader, also used for moving over or extending beyond areas
to pass over
vsto cross
26 3.3

To move across a place, often above the ground

is similar but also includes the sense of meeting or intersecting
to traverse
vsto cross
16 5.6

To move across land or water from one side to the other

is similar but also refers to meeting or paths that meet
to cut across
vsto cross
8 3.2

To go through a place like a park to make a shorter route

is more general movement and also includes meeting or intersection uses
to hop across
vsto cross
1 2.2

To jump lightly from one side to the other using small jumps

is the general movement idea without specifying a jumping method
to intercross
vsto cross
1 6.5

Lines or paths that cross each other at points

is the general passing action, not only mutual meeting of lines

Idioms

A hard burden someone must live with

to cross swords
  • Informal
5 6.8

Argue strongly with someone, often in public

2 8.5

To take a decisive action that you cannot change later

to cross the aisle
  • Literature
1 6.5

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

1 6.3

To go past a limit people set and cause serious problems

To pay careful attention to small details when finishing a task

1 6.7

Act with different goals so people cannot work well together

To promise honestly that you are telling the truth

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 meet someone unexpectedly, often by chance

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

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

to cross the Styx
  • Literature
9.9

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

Phrasal Verbs

89 4.5

Act in a way that goes too far and is not right

35 1.8

To draw a line through an item on a list to show it is finished

to cross paths
  • Informal
32 3.7

Meet someone by chance

To sit with one leg over the other

14 2.3

Draw a line through a word or item to show it should be removed

To go to work during a strike even though other workers are striking

To begin a new stage in life or work

To touch your forehead, chest, and shoulders as a Christian religious sign

To enter land held by the enemy during a battle

Bring ideas from different areas together to make new products or solutions

Compounds

46 1.6

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

10 7.6

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

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

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

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

double cross
  • Informal
5 6.6

To betray someone after pretending to help them

Wearing clothes usually worn by the opposite sex

Navy Cross
  • Formal
5 6.0

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

4 2.6

A street that crosses a main road at a corner

To ski long distances across open countryside rather than down hills

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

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

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

cross section
  • Specialized
1 3.7

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

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

1 4.2

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

1 6.6

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

1 3.7

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

cross section
  • Specialized
1 7.2

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

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

1 7.0

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

cross section
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A group chosen to represent a larger population

1 3.9

Going 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

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

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

Northern Cross
  • Specialized
1 6.4

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

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

cross bit
  • Specialized
8.9

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

cross hair
  • Specialized
5.5

Fine crossing lines in a sight or microscope used to aim

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

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

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

cross vine
  • Specialized
8.6

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

cross wire
  • Specialized
7.7

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

cross product
  • Specialized
6.8

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

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

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

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

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

cross-classification
  • Specialized
7.5

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

4.8

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

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

cross-fertilization
  • Specialized
5.6

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

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

cross-eye
  • Specialized
8.4

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

5.6

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

cross-linkage
  • Specialized
7.5

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

cross-link
  • Texting
4.0

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

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

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

cross-linguistic
  • Specialized
8.2

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

Mixing ideas from different people or fields to make new solutions

cross-pollination
  • Specialized
3.4

Pollen moving from one flower to another to make seeds

Sharing ideas between different groups to create new things

Mixing ideas from different fields to create new or better results

cross-ply
  • Specialized
8.4

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

A person who shows strong religious respect for the Christian cross

cross-section
  • Specialized
5.3

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

cross-sentential
  • Specialized
9.6

Connecting words or ideas across more than one sentence

dihybrid cross
  • Specialized
8.6

A cross between two parents that differ in two traits to see how those traits are passed on

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

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

A low plant with yellow flowers that have four petals in a cross

A garden plant with clusters of bright red flowers

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

9.8

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

monohybrid cross
  • Specialized
8.2

A breeding test of two parents to see how one trait passes to their children

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

half cross stitch
  • Specialized
7.2

A single slanted needle movement that makes part of a cross shape in embroidery

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

reciprocal cross
  • Specialized
9.3

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

A cross with three horizontal bars that stands for the Pope

How Fast

sprint
55 2.1
to run
1.0
to cross
1.0
to walk
1.0
to crawl
406 1.0

Surface Forms

cross infinitive
crossed past
crossed past participle
crossing present participle
crosses third person singular

Etymology

Cross (verb, go across) originally meant to go from one side to the other, the same idea you see in the word across. So to 'cross' a river is simply to move over to the other side.