across
Americanpreposition
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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
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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
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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
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fully informed about; dealing with
we are across this problem
adverb
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from one side to the other
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on or to the other side
Etymology
Origin of across
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.
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
Across Yorkshire, charities supporting disabled children and young people say they are seeing a worrying rise in parents and carers like Samantha skipping meals so that they can meet extra costs.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Across news departments, they will engage audiences, analyze data, edit, design, photograph, report and record unforgettable voices and scenes that bring every day events to colorful life.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
"Across cell-based and animal models, cPLA2 activity was reduced at low concentrations, indicating that the compounds are potent in brain-relevant systems."
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
Across the city in a suburb of Beirut, kitchen shelves were stacked with sauces and tins crowded the walls as volunteers prepared green beans and fried rice balls.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
Across the ship, I see the four-armed gorilla nudge one of the nearby monkeys and point up to the sky, toward a massive bird flying over the seas.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
