across
Americanpreposition
-
from one side to the other of.
a bridge across a river.
-
on or to the other side of; beyond.
across the sea.
-
into contact with; into the presence of, usually by accident.
to come across an old friend; to run across a first edition of Byron.
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
These cells play a central role in transmitting information across the cortex.
From Science Daily
Southern Californians out on Saturday night for Valentine’s Day took a break from staring longingly into each other’s eyes to gaze at something else: a SpaceX rocket blazing across the early evening Southland sky.
From Los Angeles Times
The workers ran downstairs and sprinted across a yard for the shelter.
That has come as inflation across the United States has remained stubbornly high post-pandemic, and New York in particular has seen rents rise on high demand, supply shortages and other factors.
From Barron's
“Wealth has gone up pretty much across the board.”
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.