Jump To:

• cross section
  cross section

  noun

  a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, especially at right angles to the longest axis.
• cross-section
  cross-section

  adjective

  Also cross-sectional. of or relating to a cross section.

cross section

¹ American  

[kraws sek-shuhn, kros] / ˈkrɔs ˌsɛk ʃən, ˈkrɒs /

noun

• cross sections
  plural

1. a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, especially at right angles to the longest axis.

2. a piece so cut off.

3. a photograph, diagram, or other pictorial representation of such a section.

4. the act of cutting anything across.

5. a typical selection; a sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc..

   a cross section of American opinion.

6. Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken at right angles to a survey line.

7. Also called nuclear cross section.  Physics. a quantity expressing the effective area that a given nucleus presents as a target to a bombarding particle, giving a measure of the probability that the particle will induce a reaction.

---

cross-section ² American  

[kraws-sek-shuhn, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˈsɛk ʃən, ˈkrɒs- /

adjective

1. Also cross-sectional. of or relating to a cross section.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to make or divide into a cross section.

cross section British  

noun

1. maths a plane surface formed by cutting across a solid, esp perpendicular to its longest axis

2. a section cut off in this way

3. the act of cutting anything in this way

4. a random selection or sample, esp one regarded as representative

   a cross section of the public

5. surveying a vertical section of a line of ground at right angles to a survey line

6. physics a measure of the probability that a collision process will result in a particular reaction. It is expressed by the effective area that one participant presents as a target for the other

---

cross section Scientific  

1. In particle physics, an expression of the probability of the occurrence of an event, typically the scattering of subatomic particles, over a given area.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cross-sectional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cross sections
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cross section¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Origin of cross-section²

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cross section cross-section

It’s an interesting cross section of where the population’s at.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

A broader cross section of thousands of fund returns make up commonly used performance indexes published by Cambridge Associates and MSCI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

Louisiana that the Sixth Amendment demands a jury drawn from a representative cross section of the community.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2025

“These days we’ve got a truly diverse cross section of South Africa coming to the event, all ages, races, and genders,” says rAge project director, Michael James.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2024

Before returning to Rabelais, let’s consider two hanging wires of equal cross section.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

A compelling model comes from the burgeoning global movement of citizens’ assemblies — deliberative bodies in which a randomly selected, representative cross-section of the public is convened to consider complex policy questions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

A larger atmosphere presents a bigger cross-section to incoming starlight, allowing it to absorb more radiation.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

She currently serves as creative and projects editor at the Guardian, UCSD’s independent student-run newspaper, where she leads cross-section collaboration and develops innovative approaches to storytelling.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

Our fellow travelers along the I-95 corridor comprised a particularly vibrant cross-section of American society, including many bedraggled participants of Daytona’s Bike Week, trailering their baggers and dressers home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

He remembered getting in trouble one time because he had turned a cross-section kidney and some skeleton legs into a kidney monster and scared the nurse.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• random sample
• sampling