cross
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A shape made of two lines that meet each other
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
krawsIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹɔs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
heraldry
Any geometric figure having this or a similar shape, such as a cross of Lorraine or a Maltese cross.
A place where roads intersect and lead off in four directions; a crossroad (common in UK and Irish place names such as Gerrards Cross).
A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used (especially in the Roman Empire) to execute criminals (by crucifixion).
figurativefrom Christ's bearing of the cross
A difficult situation that must be endured.
The act of going across; the act of passing from one side to the other
adjective
Transverse; lying across the main direction.
Made in an opposite direction, or an inverse relation; mutually inverse; interchanged.
verb
To place across or athwart; to cause to intersect.
Trace a line through or across
To lay or draw something across, such as a line.
transitive
To stamp or mark (a cheque) in such a way as to prevent it being cashed, thus requiring it to be deposited into a bank account.
To write lines of text at right angles to and over the top of one another in order to save paper.ᵂ
To move relatively.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
Used this way, cross is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cross
- “Cross a horse and a donkey.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Traveling across.
Placed crosswise.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
By comparing languages.
A side bond that links two adjacent chains of atoms in a complex molecule.
A side bond that links two adjacent chains of atoms in a complex molecule.
Relating to different sense modalities.
A Latin cross set on three steps.
A cross with two crossbars, one above and one below the midpoint of the vertical, the lower longer than the upper.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “cross” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.