Meaning & use
cross boundaries
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
To go past a limit that others consider acceptable, such as a personal, professional or moral limit.
Grammar: Takes a subject only: he crossed boundaries. It changes tense: cross, crossed, crossing boundaries.
Patterns
- cross boundaries with someone
- cross the boundary of something
The manager crossed boundaries when he read his employee's private messages.
Children test adults by crossing boundaries to see what happens.
Joking about someone's appearance can cross boundaries quickly.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
To move across the line separating places, groups or areas of knowledge.
Grammar: Often used for ideas, art and research: music that crosses boundaries.
Patterns
- cross boundaries between things
Her research crosses boundaries between biology and computer science.
The festival brings together art that crosses boundaries of culture and language.
Good ideas often cross boundaries and spread to other industries.
Word forms
| third person singular | crosses boundaries |
|---|---|
| past tense | crossed boundaries |
| -ing form | crossing boundaries |
Common combinations
- cross professional boundaries
- Teachers must not cross professional boundaries with students.
- cross cultural boundaries
- The song crosses cultural boundaries.
- cross the line
- His joke crossed the line and offended everyone.
- cross national boundaries
- Pollution does not stop when it crosses national boundaries.
- cross boundaries between disciplines
- Modern medicine crosses boundaries between disciplines.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overstep
- It focuses on going beyond what is allowed or appropriate, usually in a negative sense, while cross boundaries can also be positive.
- transcend
- It is more formal and positive, meaning to rise above limits.
- breach
- It suggests breaking a rule or agreement and is stronger and more formal.
- bridge
- It means to connect two separate groups, which is a more positive idea than crossing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: cross boundaries or cross borders?
cross boundaries vs cross borders
It usually means literally moving between countries. Cross boundaries is broader and often figurative.
Practice
The supervisor ____ when he asked his employee to run personal errands for him.
Choose one answer.
Crossed boundaries means he went beyond what is acceptable in a workplace relationship. Crossed paths only means they happened to meet.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cross boundaries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.