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to cross

to cross

208 5.9
To stop someone's plans or make them fail
  • verb
  • /krɔs/
translation icon : frustrar
  • In his attempt to satisfy both, he has inevitably had to cross the line at various points.
  • double-cross

But if you cross her, she will tear you up.

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Examples

  • Sometimes managers will ask for actions that cross the line of reasonable risk.

    Academic text (2011)
  • When does spying or industrial espionage cross into an attack?

  • When that fails, something snaps and the behavior crosses the line into stalking, she says.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Even so, Arenella argues, Garcetti may have "crossed the line" in his remarks.

    Academic text (1994)
  • If you keep trying to undermine my efforts, you will only cross me.

  • Her attempts to manipulate the situation did not go unnoticed; she only managed to cross him.

  • Don't cross her plans; she has worked too hard to let anyone interfere now.

Synonyms

to thwart
vsto cross
87 7.4

To stop someone from doing what they want

is more about hindering or frustrating plans rather than only preventing
to spoil
vsto cross
80 2.8

To make something less good or enjoyable

prevents success by harming usefulness rather than directly blocking plans
to foil
vsto cross
36 5.5

To stop a plan or action from working

is broader, covering any hindering or blocking of aims
to frustrate
vsto cross
35 3.6

Stop someone from doing something they planned to do

is about hindering plans or desires rather than causing physical damage
to baffle
vsto cross
3 6.1

To stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding

works generally to hinder or stop aims without causing confusion
to scotch
vsto cross
1 8.1

To stop a plan or action from happening

is used for hindering or preventing efforts more generally
1 3.4

Stop someone from reaching their goal

focuses on blocking personal progress rather than only stopping events
to bilk
vsto cross
  • Archaic
9.9

Stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding

shares the same obstructing sense but is the main entry sense

Antonyms

605 1.0

To help someone by making a task easier

to facilitate
  • Formal
187 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

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 Obstructive

to sabotage
164 7.1
to thwart
87 7.4
to cross
208 5.9
to hinder
75 3.6
to interfere
487 3.5

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Cross (verb, thwart) can be remembered this way: a helpful way to think of 'to cross' someone's plans is to picture drawing a cross through them to stop them. So if you are 'crossed' you are blocked or frustrated.