cross-check

American  

[kraws-chek, kros-, kraws-chek, -chek, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˈtʃɛk, ˈkrɒs-, ˈkrɔsˌtʃɛk, -ˈtʃɛk, ˈkrɒs- /

verb (used with object)

• cross-checks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cross-checked,
  past participle,  past
• cross-checking
  present participle

1. to determine the accuracy of (something) by checking it with various sources.

2. Ice Hockey. to execute a cross-check on (an opponent).

---

noun

1. the act of cross-checking.

2. a means of cross-checking.

   I examined contemporary newspaper reports as a cross-check on his account.

3. Ice Hockey. an obstructing or impeding of the movement or progress of an opponent by placing the stick, with both hands, across the opponent's body or face.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cross-checker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• cross-checking
  present
• cross-checked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cross-check
  simple
• cross-checks
  simple
• have cross-checked
  perfect
• has cross-checked
  perfect
• am cross-checking
  progressive
• are cross-checking
  progressive
• is cross-checking
  progressive
• have been cross-checking
  perfect progressive
• has been cross-checking
  perfect progressive

Past

• cross-checked
  simple
• had cross-checked
  perfect
• was cross-checking
  progressive
• were cross-checking
  progressive
• had been cross-checking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cross-check
  simple
• will have cross-checked
  perfect
• will be cross-checking
  progressive
• will have been cross-checking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cross-check

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cross-check cross-checks cross-checked cross-checking

State officials around the country say they work hard to maintain accurate data, year-round, using a variety of sources to cross-check their rolls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

One way to cross-check is to look at raw or unadjusted new claims in the same week one year earlier.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

This layered approach allows researchers to cross-check results in multiple ways.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2026

To ensure authenticity, creators say they rely on researchers who cross-check their content with published sources, while preserving the original context.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025

We used to time our emissaries to their return and cross-check them where their wanderings intersected those of others—all were supposed to be trackers and one or two knew something about it.

From Pan-Islam by G. Wyman (George Wyman) Bury

AI-powered software then combines and cross-checks data to provide an accurate location.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

Further investigations and cross-checks led to the arrest of a fourth, suspected of having parked the truck under the museum gallery, said Beccuau.

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

Mr Marks said the additional cross-checks against UK tax and payroll data were dropped after the pilot was extended, in order to "streamline the process".

From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025

She says the interviews and cross-checks of birth certificates with other life documents are effective at catching potential inconsistencies.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 20, 2024

On symbolic model, this problem does not occur, due to multiple cross-checks between elements and relations.

From The Brain, A Decoded Enigma by Dorin Teodor Moisa

So scientists anchor the world’s coordinates to far-off stillness: quasars, the luminous cores of galaxies billions of light-years away, observed nightly by radio telescopes across multiple continents and cross-checked with lasers bounced off satellites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

We built relationships over years, not months, and cross-checked every claim across multiple actors and institutions.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2025

They cross-checked the faces and names of the men carefully logged by Dominique alongside facial recognition technology.

From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024

The charging major assessed on Gourde at the time came moments after he’d been cross-checked from behind by Oilers superstar Connor McDavid without a penalty being called.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2024

“They say they’re sure. They’ve checked and cross-checked birth records. She was born on the same day, in the same hospital.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Skinner said his organization also imposes internal restrictions: vetting the volunteers, cross-checking submissions, avoiding posting the home addresses of identified agents, removing nurses from the database, and excluding social media platforms that feature kids.

From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2026

The review process requires careful research and cross-checking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

For investigators, what once required weeks of cross-checking siloed systems can now be done in hours or less.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2025

“Each month, our legislative team reviews hundreds of Council and Committee votes, cross-checking for potential conflicts,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

The problem criss-crossed in and out, around, about, checking, cross-checking, re-checking as The Computer 'thought' about the problem.

From Two Plus Two Makes Crazy by Walter J. Sheldon