a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, especially at right angles to the longest axis.
a piece so cut off.
a photograph, diagram, or other pictorial representation of such a section.
the act of cutting anything across.
a typical selection; a sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc..
a cross section of American opinion.
Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken at right angles to a survey line.
Also called nuclear cross section. Physics. a quantity expressing the effective area that a given nucleus presents as a target to a bombarding particle, giving a measure of the probability that the particle will induce a reaction.
maths a plane surface formed by cutting across a solid, esp perpendicular to its longest axis
a section cut off in this way
the act of cutting anything in this way
a random selection or sample, esp one regarded as representative
a cross section of the public
surveying a vertical section of a line of ground at right angles to a survey line
physics a measure of the probability that a collision process will result in a particular reaction. It is expressed by the effective area that one participant presents as a target for the other
First recorded in 1825–35
First recorded in 1875–80
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A cross section of a T. rex leg bone typically preserves information from just the final 10 to 20 years of the animal's life.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
A broader cross section of thousands of fund returns make up commonly used performance indexes published by Cambridge Associates and MSCI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
Louisiana that the Sixth Amendment demands a jury drawn from a representative cross section of the community.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2025
The setting allows for a cross section of humanity, united in distress, and occasional passages of sociopolitical commentary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
Before returning to Rabelais, let’s consider two hanging wires of equal cross section.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
A compelling model comes from the burgeoning global movement of citizens’ assemblies — deliberative bodies in which a randomly selected, representative cross-section of the public is convened to consider complex policy questions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
A larger atmosphere presents a bigger cross-section to incoming starlight, allowing it to absorb more radiation.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
Cabbages, namely their undulating cross-section patterns, have appeared as designs in outerwear and accessories.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2026
The Republican Study Committee—which represents a huge cross-section of the caucus— in January released a Reconciliation 2.0 roadmap that included provisions focused on reducing housing, healthcare and energy costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
He remembered getting in trouble one time because he had turned a cross-section kidney and some skeleton legs into a kidney monster and scared the nurse.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
