across

[ uh-kraws, uh-kros ]
See synonyms for across on Thesaurus.com
preposition
  1. from one side to the other of: a bridge across a river.

  2. on or to the other side of; beyond: across the sea.

  1. into contact with; into the presence of, usually by accident: to come across an old friend; to run across a first edition of Byron.

  2. crosswise of or transversely to the length of something; athwart: coats across the bed; straddled across the boundary line.

adverb
  1. from one side to another.

  2. on the other side: We'll soon be across.

  1. crosswise; transversely: with arms across.

  2. so as to be understood or learned: He couldn't get the idea across to the class.

  3. into a desired or successful state: to put a business deal across.

adjective
  1. being in a crossed or transverse position; crosswise: an across pattern of supporting beams.

Origin of across

1
First recorded in 1470–80; a-1 + cross

Words Nearby across

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use across in a sentence

  • Davy looked around and saw an old man coming toward them across the lawn.

    Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl
  • Specimens were easily collected in a mist net placed across the opening.

  • They ran side by side across the yard to a roofed flight of steps that led to the printing-office.

    Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
  • The engineer officer charged with preparing the line of retreat reported that the one bridge across the Elster was not sufficient.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • His head fell back limp on MacRae's arm, and the rest of the message went with the game old Dutchman across the big divide.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for across

across

/ (əˈkrɒs) /


preposition
  1. from one side to the other side of

  2. on or at the other side of

  1. so as to transcend boundaries or barriers: people united across borders by religion and history; the study of linguistics across cultures

  2. fully informed about; dealing with: we are across this problem

adverb
  1. from one side to the other

  2. on or to the other side

Origin of across

1
C13: on croice, acros, from Old French a croix crosswise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with across

across

In addition to the idiom beginning with across

  • across the board

also see:

  • come across
  • cut across
  • get across
  • put across
  • run across

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.