Meaning & use
a crosswalk
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
A marked part of a road where people can cross safely.
Grammar: Countable; in British English the usual word is 'pedestrian crossing' or 'zebra crossing'.
Patterns
- at a crosswalk
- use a crosswalk
- painted crosswalk
Always use the crosswalk when crossing the street.
The driver stopped at the crosswalk to let the children pass.
There's a crosswalk just ahead, near the traffic lights.
Word forms
| plural | crosswalks |
|---|
Common combinations
- at the crosswalk
- Wait at the crosswalk until the light turns green.
- crosswalk sign
- The crosswalk sign was hard to see in the rain.
- painted crosswalk
- The city added a painted crosswalk near the school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pedestrian crossing
- The British term for the same thing; 'crosswalk' is mainly American.
- zebra crossing
- A British crossing marked with white stripes; not all crosswalks have stripes.
Commonly confused: a crosswalk or crossroads?
a crosswalk vs crossroads
'Crossroads' is where two roads meet; a 'crosswalk' is where people cross a road.
Practice
In the US, you should walk in the ___ when crossing the street.
Choose one answer.
'Crosswalk' is the American word for the marked crossing area. 'Crossroads' means an intersection of roads, and 'crossing' is more general or British.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a crosswalk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.