across
Americanpreposition
-
from one side to the other of.
a bridge across a river.
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on or to the other side of; beyond.
across the sea.
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into contact with; into the presence of, usually by accident.
to come across an old friend; to run across a first edition of Byron.
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crosswise of or transversely to the length of something; athwart.
coats across the bed; straddled across the boundary line.
adverb
-
from one side to another.
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on the other side.
We'll soon be across.
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crosswise; transversely.
with arms across.
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so as to be understood or learned.
He couldn't get the idea across to the class.
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into a desired or successful state.
to put a business deal across.
adjective
preposition
-
from one side to the other side of
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on or at the other side of
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so as to transcend boundaries or barriers
people united across borders by religion and history
the study of linguistics across cultures
-
fully informed about; dealing with
we are across this problem
adverb
-
from one side to the other
-
on or to the other side
Etymology
Origin of across
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Close attention is likely to be paid to the core number, which strips out volatile food and energy costs, to get an idea of whether the inflation bug is spreading more broadly across the economy.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
In 2016, geologist Rowan Martindale was hiking across a hillside in Morocco when something unusual caught her eye.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Her energy was contagious, seizing entire parties across the venue.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
It takes a lot to push a large, diversified economy into a period of outright contraction that spreads across sectors and involves net employment losses.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
All together we were slowly being drawn across the square behind those horses.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
