Noun
a necklace with a gold cross
The teacher marked the absent students on her list with crosses.
Those who could not write signed their names with a cross. Verb
We crossed the state border hours ago.
The dog crossed the street.
The highway crosses the entire state.
He was the first runner to cross the finish line.
The train crosses through France.
Put a nail where the boards cross.
One line crossed the other. Adjective
I didn't mean to make you cross.
I was cross with her for being so careless.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Even more important, Maria and Jane would strike up a friendship that would span decades and cross borders.—Literary Hub,
26 Oct. 2026 The party was a reminder of the close cross border ties that are frayed but so far not broken by the visa crackdown.—
Angela Kocherga,
NPR,
26 Oct. 2026
Verb
Scientists in Germany have observed electrons crossing an energy gap in graphene with a probability of up to 100%, revealing how intense electric fields can drive quantum transitions in real time.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2026 In a separate incident, the eastbound lanes of I-20 were closed in west Fort Worth early Wednesday after a pedestrian was fatally struck while trying to cross the highway, police said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cross
Word History
Etymology
Noun, Verb, Adjective, Preposition, and Adverb
Middle English, from Old English, from Old Norse or Old Irish; Old Norse kross, from Old Irish cros, from Latin cruc-, crux
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Old English cros, probably from an early Norse or an early Irish word derived from Latin crux "cross" — related to crucial, cruise, crusade, crux, excruciating
Copy Citation
