Meaning & use
cross-examiner
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablelaw
A lawyer who questions a witness called by the opposing side in a trial.
Grammar: Countable; use a/an or the before it: a cross-examiner, the cross-examiner.
Patterns
- a cross-examiner for the prosecution
- a skilled cross-examiner
The cross-examiner asked the witness about the time of the phone call.
She is known as a tough cross-examiner who rarely loses her temper.
Word forms
| plural | cross-examiners |
|---|
Common combinations
- skilled cross-examiner
- The defense hired a skilled cross-examiner for the trial.
- tough cross-examiner
- The witness seemed nervous facing such a tough cross-examiner.
- cross-examiner for the prosecution
- The cross-examiner for the prosecution focused on the missing receipts.
- act as a cross-examiner
- In this mock trial, each student will act as a cross-examiner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interrogator
- A general word for someone who asks many questions; it is not a legal term and does not imply a courtroom setting.
- questioner
- A neutral word for anyone who asks questions; it does not carry the legal meaning of questioning an opposing witness.
Word family
- cross-examine verb
- To question a witness called by the other side in a trial.
- cross-examination noun
- The act or process of questioning an opposing witness.
Commonly confused: cross-examiner or cross-examine?
cross-examiner vs cross-examine
Cross-examine is the verb (to question a witness); cross-examiner is the person who does it.
Practice
In a trial, who is the cross-examiner?
Choose one answer.
A cross-examiner is the lawyer who questions a witness called by the opposing side. The witness answers questions, and the judge decides the case, so those options do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cross-examiner”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.