Meaning & use
cross
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To go from one side of something, such as a road, river or border, to the other.
Grammar: Takes an object when you name what you pass over: cross the street. It can stand alone, usually with over: we crossed over.
Patterns
- cross something
- cross over
- cross from one place to another
Look both ways before you cross the street.
The family crossed the border at dawn.
We crossed over the bridge and turned left.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To meet and pass over one another at a point, as lines, roads or paths do.
Grammar: Often used with each other or with a plural subject: the two roads cross near the church.
Patterns
- something crosses something
- cross each other
- paths cross
The two highways cross just outside the town.
Our paths crossed again years later at a conference.
Draw two lines so that they cross in the middle.
verbtransitive
To place one part of the body, such as your legs, arms or fingers, over another.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually a body part: she crossed her arms.
Patterns
- cross your legs
- cross your arms
- cross your fingers
He sat down and crossed his legs.
She crossed her arms and waited for an explanation.
I'm crossing my fingers for good weather tomorrow.
adjectivecomparableBritishold-fashioned
Annoyed or a little angry, usually about something small.
Grammar: Used after a verb, often with with or about: she was cross with him. It is more common in British English.
Patterns
- be cross with someone
- be cross about something
- get cross
Mom was cross with me for coming home late.
Don't be cross; it was only a mistake.
He gets cross when he is hungry.
nouncountable
A mark or shape made of two lines crossing, or an object of that shape, especially one used as a religious symbol.
Grammar: Countable: put a cross next to your answer; the church has a large cross.
Patterns
- a cross on something
- make a cross
- wear a cross
She put a cross next to the correct answer.
A large wooden cross stood on the hilltop.
He wore a silver cross around his neck.
nouncountable
An animal or plant produced by mixing two different breeds or types, or something that combines the qualities of two things.
Grammar: Countable and followed by between or of: a cross between a poodle and a terrier.
Patterns
- a cross between X and Y
Their dog is a cross between a collie and a spaniel.
The cafe is a cross between a library and a coffee shop.
The new fruit is a cross of a plum and an apricot.
Word forms
| third person singular | crosses |
|---|---|
| past tense | crossed |
| past participle | crossed |
| -ing form | crossing |
| comparative | crosser |
| superlative | crossest |
| plural | crosses |
Common combinations
- cross the road
- The ducks crossed the road in a line.
- cross paths
- We crossed paths in the airport by chance.
- cross your fingers
- Cross your fingers that the train is on time.
- cross a line
- His joke crossed a line and upset the guests.
- cross the finish line
- She crossed the finish line first.
- get cross with
- Don't get cross with the children for being noisy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- traverse
- Traverse is a formal word and often implies a long or difficult journey, while cross is the everyday word.
- intersect
- Intersect is a more technical word for lines or roads that meet, while cross is more general.
- annoyed
- Annoyed is a neutral, widely used word, while cross sounds milder and more British.
- hybrid
- Hybrid is the scientific or formal word for a mixed breed, while cross is the casual one.
Word family
- crossing noun
- A place where you cross, or the act of crossing
- crossly adverb
- In an annoyed way
- crossness noun
- The state of being annoyed
- crossbreed noun
- An animal produced by crossing two breeds
- crossroads noun
- A place where two roads meet
Commonly confused: cross or angry? cross or across?
cross vs angry
Angry is stronger and more serious than cross, which is mild and often about small things.
cross vs across
Across is a preposition or adverb ('walk across the field'), while cross is the verb: 'cross the field'.
Practice
My sister was a bit ____ with me for borrowing her bike without asking.
Choose one answer.
Cross is the adjective meaning annoyed and follows the verb was. The other forms are verb forms and do not fit after was in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cross”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.