crossing

[kraw-sing, kros-ing]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that crosses. cross.

2. a place where lines, streets, tracks, etc., cross each other.

3. a place at which a road, railroad track, river, etc., may be crossed. crossed.

4. hybridization; crossbreeding.

5. the act of opposing or thwarting; frustration; contradiction.

6. the intersection of nave and transept in a cruciform church.

7. Railroads.,  a track structure composed of four connected frogs, permitting two tracks to cross each other at grade with sufficient clearance for wheel flanges.

crossing

/ ˈkrɒsɪŋ /

noun

1. the place where one thing crosses another

2. a place, often shown by markings, lights, or poles, where a street, railway, etc, may be crossed

3. the intersection of the nave and transept in a church

4. the act or instance of travelling across something, esp the sea

5. the act or process of crossbreeding

Other Word Forms

• subcrossing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crossing¹

1375–1425; late Middle English. See cross, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The border between Mexico and Guatemala is a key crossing point in the migrant route north from South and Central America to the United States.

Read more on Barron's

Four other border crossings with Belarus were closed in 2023 and 2024 due to security concerns after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Read more on Barron's

Kebatu arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel on a small boat on 29 June, having travelled through Sudan, Libya, Italy and France.

Read more on BBC

Mahmood's department has also faced intense pressure in recent weeks over other issues including the grooming gangs inquiry, the "one in one out" deal with France, small boats crossings and more.

Read more on BBC

Illegal crossings at the southern border have reached historic lows, and many agents who typically have guarded that area now patrol cities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bridge 
• crossroad 
• intersection 
• junction 
• overpass 
• passage