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to cross

to cross

∞ 1.0
To go across something from one side to the other
  • verb
  • /krɔs/
: 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 get over
vsto cross
361 3.3

Move across something like a river or mountain

covers that travel but also includes meeting or intersecting senses
to cover
vsto cross
222 3.3

To go across an area or distance

is the core action, but also includes meeting or intersecting senses
to cut through
vsto cross
160 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 move through
vsto cross
146 2.1

Pass from one point to another during a journey or process

adds the sense of meeting or extending beyond simple movement
to span
vsto cross
  • Specialized
99 3.4

To stretch across an area or period of time

is the active moving form rather than passive reaching
to sweep
vsto cross
70 2.3

To extend across a large area or long distance

is usually a focused action of moving or meeting over something
to intersect
vsto cross
48 3.9

To cross or meet at one point, like two roads

is broader, also used for moving over or extending beyond areas
to get across
vsto cross
44 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 traverse
vsto cross
36 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 pass over
vsto cross
31 3.3

To move across a place, often above the ground

is similar but also includes the sense of meeting or intersecting
to cut across
vsto cross
17 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
2 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

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

Phrasal Verbs

116 4.5

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

to cross paths
  • Informal
48 3.7

Meet someone by chance

43 1.8

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

23 2.3

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

To begin a new stage in life or work

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

To sit with one leg over the other

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

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 Fast

sprint
44 2.1
to run
∞ 1.0
to cross
∞ 1.0
to walk
∞ 1.0
to crawl
456 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.