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to cross out

to cross out

14 2.3
Draw a line through a word or item to show it should be removed
  • phrasal verb
  • /krɔs aʊt/
translation icon : tachar
  • If you make a mistake, just cross it out or use an eraser.
  • cross out a number

And then on the next page there's some more crossed out lines and then there's this.

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Examples

  • When I noticed the error, I quickly crossed out the incorrect answers on the test.

  • Biting her lip, Susan crosses out her last phrase and writes,

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And now we cross out games and we get points per season.

  • We can immediately cross out E over E, OK, E over G# and E over B.

  • Once you do that, cross out that step and all arrows leading from it.

  • You just crossed out his name and put yours.

  • Take a Magic Marker, cross out the word "objectivity."

  • Mavis bites at her pen, looks at what she wrote, and crosses it out.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Much of this graffiti had been crossed out, presumably by pro-government supporters of the Colorado Party.

    Academic text (1990)
  • We can narrow this down by crossing out all the children on the naughty list, who either got coal in their stockings or didn't get a visit from me.

Synonyms

to cross
vsto cross out
171 2.0

To draw a line through writing to show it is wrong

is specifically for deleting words to show they are wrong or not needed
to cut out
vsto cross out
77 3.2

To remove a shape from paper or cloth using scissors

uses marking to show deletion or error rather than physical cutting away
to cross off
vsto cross out
35 1.8

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

marks deletion because an item is wrong or no longer needed rather than only completion
to strike out
vsto cross out
8 3.7

Remove a name or item from a list by drawing a line through it

is the general action to show an item is wrong, removed, or unneeded
to scratch out
vsto cross out
4 4.0

Draw lines through writing so you cannot read it

uses a clear line to indicate removal or incorrectness rather than rubbing
to strike off
vsto cross out
  • UK
2 6.7

To remove a person or thing from an official list

deletes writing to show error or being unnecessary, not official deregistration
to stroke out
vsto cross out
1 6.2

Draw a line through words or text to show they should be ignored

is broader, also used to mark something wrong or unnecessary
to blank out
vsto cross out
  • Literature
1 6.4

To remove words or other information from a document to hide them

shows deletion for error or no longer needed, not only to hide sensitive content
to score out
vsto cross out
  • UK
5.2

To draw a line through written words to show they are wrong

is used to show deletion, error, or that it is no longer needed
to chalk off
vsto cross out
  • UK
6.5

To mark an item as finished by drawing a line or writing a note

indicates deletion for error or being unneeded, not only completion
to X-ed
vsto cross out
7.3

To cross out writing by drawing an X over it

uses a line through text specifically to show error or unneeded status

Antonyms

1.0

Include something extra to make something larger or better

How Marked

to delete
287 2.0
to cross out
14 2.3
to mark
192 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

cross + out

The verb 'cross' already conveys drawing a line through to cancel, and the particle 'out' adds a sense of removal or exclusion; combined, the meaning 'draw a line through to remove' is directly derivable from the parts. This verb+particle composition is a common, transparent pattern in English (and parallels exist in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

The phrasal verb cross out comes from the simple act of drawing a line through a word; you cross the word out to show it is 'wrong' or 'no longer needed'. So, it means 'to remove or mark as incorrect'.