cross-country

American  

[kraws-kuhn-tree, kros-, kraws-kuhn-tree, -kuhn-, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˌkʌn tri, ˈkrɒs-, ˈkrɔsˈkʌn tri, -ˌkʌn-, ˈkrɒs- /

adjective

1. directed or proceeding over fields, through woods, etc., rather than on a road or path.

   a cross-country race.

2. from one end of the country to the other.

   a cross-country flight.

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noun

plural

cross-countries

1. a cross-country sport or race.

cross-country British  

adjective

1. by way of fields, woods, etc, as opposed to roads

   cross-country running

2. across a country

   a cross-country railway

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noun

1. a long race held over open ground

Etymology

Origin of cross-country

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

She sued in 2021, when she was 11, because she wanted to join the girls’ track and cross-country teams at her middle school.

From The Wall Street Journal

Track and cross-country might be noncontact competitions, but what about basketball or soccer?

From The Wall Street Journal

Few people forget their school cross-country days, trudging through murky playing fields on freezing winter afternoons, invariably clad in kit sourced from the lost property bin.

From BBC

The victims, two male flight attendants, testified that Woodbury’s actions left them fearful for their safety and disrupted their ability to do their jobs during a cross-country flight in April 2025, according to prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times

A woman died after falling into a hollow in southern France during a cross-country ski excursion, rescue services said Sunday.

From Barron's