across

American  

[uh-kraws, uh-kros] / əˈkrɔs, əˈkrɒs /

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.

3. into contact with; into the presence of, usually by accident.

   to come across an old friend; to run across a first edition of Byron.

4. crosswise of or transversely to the length of something; athwart.

   coats across the bed; straddled across the boundary line.

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adverb

1. from one side to another.

2. on the other side.

   We'll soon be across.

3. crosswise; transversely.

   with arms across.

4. so as to be understood or learned.

   He couldn't get the idea across to the class.

5. 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.

across British  

/ əˈkrɒs /

preposition

1. from one side to the other side of

2. on or at the other side of

3. so as to transcend boundaries or barriers

   people united across borders by religion and history

   the study of linguistics across cultures

4. fully informed about; dealing with

   we are across this problem

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adverb

1. from one side to the other

2. on or to the other side

across Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing across

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

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Etymology

Origin of across

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

Explanation

Across describes something that's situated on the opposite side or the direction you have to go to get from one side to another. Thinking about swimming across the English Channel? It's 23.7 miles across from England to France, so you might want to take a boat instead. The phrase "across the board" means that all parts of something are affected. But it originally came from horse racing, to describe when someone bet equal amounts of money on a horse to come in first, second, or third place. The "board" was the blackboard where bookmakers chalked up the odds for each horse.

Example Sentences

“In a dynamic operating environment, the momentum across investment services, investment management, and markets underscores the strength of our franchise,” said Chief Executive Ron O’Hanley.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Dozens of California donors gave to at least five Senate candidates across the country, according to The Times’ analysis of the filing data.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Police said increased patrols would be deployed in Epsom across the weekend.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

By combining these three observables, the method captures a complete picture of the electric field across time, energy, and frequency.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026

Your pencil—mechanical, size .7 mm graphite only—glides across the paper.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• crossways
• crosswise
• transversely