crisscross
Americanverb (used with object)
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to move back and forth over.
students crisscrossing the field on their way to school.
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to mark with crossing lines.
verb (used without object)
adjective
adverb
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in a crisscross manner; crosswise.
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awry; askew.
verb
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to move or cause to move in a crosswise pattern
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to mark with or consist of a pattern of crossing lines
adjective
noun
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a pattern made of crossing lines
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a US term for noughts and crosses
adverb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of crisscross
First recorded in 1810–20; variant of christcross
Explanation
A crisscross is a pattern of lines that cross or intersect. Your favorite shirt might be printed with pink and purple crisscrosses. You might doodle a crisscross pattern during class or stitch crisscrosses on a quilt. You can also use the word as a verb, meaning to cross in a pattern: "The sidewalks crisscross the city," or "I watched the dogs crisscross the beach." The word dates from the 1800s, from the Middle English crist-cross, or "Christ's cross," which was a mark traditionally made before the alphabet in a schoolbook or primer.
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.
See Examples For:
"If we wait, probably in three years, we will not have this landscape as we see it today," environmental activist Zenepa Lika told AFP as she stood above the overgrown channels which crisscross the site.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Shares of the railroad operator, whose rail lines crisscross much of the eastern U.S., were up around 7% after hours on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 2026
Use the tines of a fork to flatten and indent crisscross patterns over the tops of each cookie.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025
The study shows wildebeest frequently crisscross the Sand River and the areas surrounding the Ritz-Carlton, even though they avoid forested areas nestling the camp due to the risk of predators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
I take a few steps back and plop down crisscross applesauce just like we always have, except Javier definitely won’t be curling up on my lap now.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
As a founding partner and chief product officer of Kim Kardashian’s Skims and co-founder and CEO of Khloé Kardashian’s Good American, Grede sports power suits on podcasts and crisscrosses the globe for business engagements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
The story flits from memory to memory, following a thread that crisscrosses his life in all its comedy and tragedy and mundanity.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
And while he has achieved more than even he thought possible, Cates finds himself on dual missions as he crisscrosses the world.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2023
This is what's fuelling an event known as the ReAwaken America Tour, which attracts tens of thousands of people as it crisscrosses the nation.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2022
All around, crooked branches like witches’ fingers make patterns where the sun crisscrosses through.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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.
