What does "cross" mean?
A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
Cross
/kɹɒs/ adj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
- Grammar: cross is listed as adj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: crossing, hybrid, abjure, achievement.
- Useful contrasts: calm, check, check mark.
- Usage evidence: As you have insulted him, he is cross with you.
How to use "cross"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cross" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cross" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cross" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cross" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cross" is acting as adj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "crossing" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
"Put a cross for a wrong answer and a tick for a right one."
- 2 (genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids wordnet
- 3 Any geometric figure having this or a similar shape, such as a cross of Lorraine or a Maltese cross.
- 4 (genetics) an organism that is the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock; especially offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties or breeds or species wordnet
- 5 A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used (especially in the Roman Empire) to execute criminals (by crucifixion).
"Criminals were commonly executed on a wooden cross."
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 a representation of the structure on which Jesus was crucified; used as an emblem of Christianity or in heraldry wordnet
- 7 Alternative letter-case form of Cross (“the Crucifix, the cross on which Christ was crucified”). alt-of
"True Cross"
- 8 a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece wordnet
- 9 A hand gesture made in imitation of the shape of the Cross; sign of the cross.
"She made the cross after swearing."
- 10 a marking that consists of lines that cross each other wordnet
- 11 Any representation of the crucifix, as in religious architecture, burial markers, jewelry, etc.
"She was wearing a cross on her necklace."
- 12 any affliction that causes great suffering wordnet
- 13 A difficult situation that must be endured. figuratively
"It's a cross I must bear."
- 14 The act of going across; the act of passing from one side to the other
"A quick cross of the road."
- 15 An animal or plant produced by crossbreeding or cross-fertilization.
- 16 A hybrid of any kind. broadly
"Toning down the ancient Viking into a sort of a cross between Paul Jones and Jeremy Diddler"
- 17 A hook thrown over the opponent's punch.
- 18 A pass in which the ball is kicked from a side of the pitch to a position close to the opponent’s goal.
"And Stamford Bridge erupted with joy as Florent Malouda slotted in a cross from Drogba, who had stayed just onside."
- 19 A place where roads intersect and lead off in four directions; a crossroad (common in UK and Irish place names such as Gerrards Cross).
- 20 A monument that marks such a place. (Also common in UK or Irish place names such as Charing Cross)
- 21 A coin stamped with the figure of a cross, or that side of such a piece on which the cross is stamped; hence, money in general. obsolete
"I should bear no cross if I did bear you; for I think you have no money in your purse."
- 22 Church lands. Ireland, obsolete
"the church-lands lying within the same, which were called the Cross"
- 23 A line across or through another line.
- 24 An instrument for laying of offsets perpendicular to the main course.
- 25 A pipe-fitting with four branches whose axes usually form a right angle.
- 26 Four edge cubies of one side that are in their right places, forming the shape of a cross.
- 27 The thirty-sixth Lenormand card.
- 28 A betrayal; dishonest practices, especially deliberately losing a sporting contest. archaic
- 29 Crossfire. slang
Verb
- 1 To make or form a cross.; To place across or athwart; to cause to intersect.
"She frowned and crossed her arms."
- 2 breed animals or plants using parents of different races and varieties wordnet
- 3 To make or form a cross.; To lay or draw something across, such as a line.
"to cross the letter t"
- 4 trace a line through or across wordnet
- 5 To make or form a cross.; To mark with an X.
"Cross the box which applies to you."
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- 6 travel across or pass over wordnet
- 7 To make or form a cross.; To write lines of text at right angles to and over the top of one another in order to save paper.ᵂ
"An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’."
- 8 meet and pass wordnet
- 9 To make or form a cross.; To make the sign of the cross over oneself. reflexive
"Again Beatrice crossed herself and sighed heavily as she bent over the dead insect."
- 10 fold so as to resemble a cross wordnet
- 11 To make or form a cross.; To make the sign of the cross over (something or someone). transitive
""Well, no! that's what I cannot make out either," said the mother quite innocently, "for I've had castor in the cradle, - I have crossed him, and I put a silver brooch in his shirt, and I stuck a knife in the beam over the door, so I don't know how they could have managed to change him.""
- 12 meet at a point wordnet
- 13 To make or form a cross.; To mark a cross against the name of (a student) in the buttery or kitchen, so that they cannot get food there. UK, obsolete, slang, transitive
"2022, Andrew Lang, Oxford The reign of Mary was scarcely more favourable to letters. No one knew what to be at in religion. In Magdalen no one could be found to say Mass, the fellows were turned out, the undergraduates were whipped — boyish martyrs — and crossed at the buttery."
- 14 hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of wordnet
- 15 To move relatively.; To go from one side of (something) to the other. transitive
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
- 16 to cover or extend over an area or time period wordnet
- 17 To move relatively.; To travel in a direction or path that will intersect with that of another. intransitive
"Ships crossing from starboard have right-of-way."
- 18 To move relatively.; To pass, as objects going in an opposite direction at the same time. transitive
"November 4, 1866, James David Forbes, letter to E. C. Batten Esq. Your kind letter crossed mine."
- 19 To move relatively.; Relative movement by a player or of players.; Of both batsmen, to pass each other when running between the wickets in order to score runs.
- 20 To move relatively.; Relative movement by a player or of players.; To pass the ball from one side of the pitch to the other side.
"He crossed the ball into the penalty area."
- 21 To move relatively.; Relative movement by a player or of players.; To score a try.
"England cut loose at the end of the half, Ashton, Mark Cueto and Mike Tindall all crossing before the break."
- 22 To oppose.; To contradict (another) or frustrate the plans of. transitive
""You'll rue the day you tried to cross me, Tom Hero!" bellowed the villain."
- 23 To oppose.; To interfere and cut off ; to debar. obsolete, transitive
"to cross me from the golden time I look for"
- 24 To oppose.; To conduct a cross examination; to question a hostile witness.
- 25 To cross-fertilize or crossbreed.
"They managed to cross a sheep with a goat."
- 26 To stamp or mark (a cheque) in such a way as to prevent it being cashed, thus requiring it to be deposited into a bank account. transitive
"The English practice of crossing checks so that payment may be made to the bank account or to order is prevalent."
Adjective
- 1 Transverse; lying across the main direction.
"At the end of each row were cross benches which linked the rows."
- 2 Opposite, opposed to. archaic
"His actions were perversely cross to his own happiness."
- 3 Opposing, adverse; being contrary to what one would hope or wish for. archaic
"As a fat body is more subject to diseases, so are rich men to absurdities and fooleries, to many casualties and cross inconveniences."
- 4 (of someone) Bad-tempered, angry, annoyed; (of words) tinged with anger. British
"They exchanged a few cross words."
- 5 Made in an opposite direction, or an inverse relation; mutually inverse; interchanged.
"cross interrogatories"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Of the sea, having two wave systems traveling at oblique angles, due to the wind over shifting direction or the waves of two storm systems meeting.
"As my father remarked to me when I stole on deck to view the state of affairs, the sea was a "cross one," and very difficult to steer against."
- 7 Dishonest. archaic
Adjective
- 1 annoyed and irritable wordnet
- 2 extending or lying across; in a crosswise direction; at right angles to the long axis wordnet
Preposition
- 1 Across. archaic
"She walked cross the mountains."
- 2 The cross product of the previous vector and the following vector.
"The Lorentz force is q times v cross B."
Proper Noun
- 1 The cross on which Jesus died and, in metonymical uses, such as to refer to Christ's suffering in general.
- 2 A topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived near a stone cross on a road.
"Max Cross cut a fine figure as the Colonel, Percy Penny was a somewhat unducal Duke, while Edgar McHale gave a particularly good rendering of the Major."
- 3 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United Kingdom:; A settlement on the Isle of Lewis, Western Isles council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NB5062).
- 4 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United Kingdom:; A hamlet in St Dominick parish, east Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SX4067)
- 5 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United Kingdom:; A hamlet in Georgeham parish, North Devon district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SS4539).
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- 6 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United Kingdom:; A hamlet in Goodleigh parish, North Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SS6034).
- 7 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United Kingdom:; A hamlet in Ellesmere Rural parish and Ellesmere Urban parish, north of Ellesmere, Shropshire, England (OS grid ref SJ3936).
- 8 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United Kingdom:; A village in Compton Bishop parish, Somerset, England, previously in Sedgemoor district (OS grid ref ST4154).
- 9 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in Ireland:; A village and townland in County Clare, Ireland, Irish spelling An Chrois.
- 10 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in Ireland:; A village in County Mayo, Ireland, Irish spelling An Chrois.
- 11 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States.
- 12 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States.
- 13 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A place in the United States:; A town in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States.
- 14 A number of places with the name "Cross":; A barangay of Glan, Sarangani, Philippines.
Example
"As you have insulted him, he is cross with you."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cross"?
Common synonyms include: crossing, hybrid, abjure, achievement, acrimonious, across.
How do you use "cross" in a sentence?
As you have insulted him, he is cross with you.
How do you pronounce "cross"?
Pronounced /kɹɒs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cross, cros, from Old English cros (“rood, cross”), from Old Norse kross, from Old Irish cros, from Latin crux (crucī). In this sense displaced native Middle English rode, from Old English rōd (“cross”); see English rood. Compare Welsh croes, Irish crois. The sense of "two intersecting lines drawn or cut on a surface; two lines intersecting at right angles" without regard to religious signification develops from the late 14th century. Cognates *Icelandic kross (“cross”) *Faroese krossur (“cross”) *Norwegian Nynorsk kross, kors (“cross”) *Danish kors (“cross”) *Swedish kors (“cross”) *North Frisian kross, korss (“cross”) *Saterland Frisian Krjuus, Kjus (“cross”) *West Frisian krús (“cross”) *Dutch kruis (“cross”) *German Low German Krüüz (“cross”) *German Kreuz (“cross”)
Etymology 2
* As an English surname, from the noun cross, as in crossroads. Also a calque of this word in various European languages, such as French Lacroix, German Kreutz, Serbo-Croatian Križ. Compare Crouch, Crozier, Kriz. * As an Irish surname, shortened from McCrossen. * As a German surname, Americanized from Kross, from Middle Low German krus (“pitcher, vessel”), which is possibly an old Germanic borrowing of Ancient Greek κρωσσός (krōssós, “pitcher, pail, urn”). Also a variant of Kress.