crossfire
118
5.3
- noun
- /ˈkrɔsˌfaɪər/
:
fuego cruzado
- Hospitals and healthcare providers will remain caught in the crossfire, trying to reconcile budgetary realities with the mission of providing humane, compassionate care.
- caught in the crossfire
No, she really just kind of stepped into the crossfire here.
- No, she really just kind of stepped into the crossfire here.
- I am once again under the crossfires, being mercilessly ripped apart by, you know, the greatest activists of all time.
Examples
-
These were hot but also tough to do because they were so politically and morally loaded and stirred up a lot of crossfire.
Fiction book (1992) -
Though widely praised, the Trust Fund was caught in the political crossfire over the land cap.
Blog text (28) -
So First off, when does crossfire work well and why?
-
All across America, the cultural crossfire has begun.
-
Long story short, that leaves Clemson sort of in the crossfire.
Blog text (34) -
"We cannot be fighting with each other," Sundari says of the seemingly endless crossfire.
Academic text (2006) -
Caught in the crossfire, if you will, have been deliberations about Afro-American literature.
Academic text (1992) -
The town hall meeting turned into a lively crossfire of opinions about the new policy.
-
The political debate featured a crossfire of ideas, with each side fiercely arguing their position.
-
During the discussion, there was a crossfire of questions and answers that kept everyone engaged.
Synonyms
∞
2.0
A formal discussion where opposing sides argue about a topic
675
2.4
A strong argument between people or groups, often public
465
4.9
A long public disagreement that causes strong arguments between people
397
2.3
A serious disagreement between people or groups over ideas
268
1.6
A situation when people do not have the same opinion
119
3.5
A short angry conversation between two people
105
3.2
A short conflict between people or groups
52
6.8
A noisy argument between people often in public
34
6.5
A strong disagreement between people or groups
30
3.5
A situation where two or more people disagree about something important
16
6.7
A long heated argument about a specific issue
15
6.2
A long angry argument in public between opposing groups
12
3.5
An argument with strong feelings and different opinions
7
3.8
A noisy argument in which people try to shout louder than each other
7
3.5
A strong angry disagreement between people with loud voices
5
3.7
An argument where people speak loudly and with strong feelings
4
5.8
A short angry argument where people try to gain an advantage
2
2.4
A time when people strongly disagree and speak loudly
1
7.5
A public argument where people attack each other's ideas
1
9.9
A noisy argument between people about a small issue
1
6.2
A short angry argument between people
A discussion that shows two opposite views
Antonyms
How Heated
7
3.5
- Informal
7
3.8
617
2.3
118
5.3
119
3.5
- Formal
∞
2.0
∞
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word crossfire comes from the same parts, cross ('to meet or go across') and fire ('to shoot'). A helpful way to remember the second meaning is to imagine words 'shooting' back and forth from both sides, so being in the crossfire means being caught in a fast back-and-forth attack of opinions.