cross-examine
Americanverb (used with object)
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to examine by questions intended to check a previous examination; examine closely or minutely.
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Law. to examine (a witness called by the opposing side), as for the purpose of discrediting the witness's testimony.
verb
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law to examine (a witness for the opposing side), as in attempting to discredit his testimony Compare examine-in-chief
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to examine closely or relentlessly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cross-examinesimple
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cross-examinessimple
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have cross-examinedperfect
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has cross-examinedperfect
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am cross-examiningprogressive
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are cross-examiningprogressive
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is cross-examiningprogressive
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have been cross-examiningperfect progressive
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has been cross-examiningperfect progressive
Past
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cross-examinedsimple
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had cross-examinedperfect
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was cross-examiningprogressive
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were cross-examiningprogressive
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had been cross-examiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cross-examine
First recorded in 1655–65
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:
An authority that comes from nowhere visible, accountable to nothing you can touch or verify or cross-examine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
They’ve got one cooperator, but you can cross-examine the cooperator, who’s cooperating in hopes of a more lenient sentence.
From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2026
Skaggs’ lawyers, however, pointed out that the defense has taken longer to cross-examine witnesses than it took them to conduct the direct examinations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
They would call him as a witness, cross-examine him and, if he didn't comply, level a second misconduct charge at him.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025
Mom walks him out, and before she can return to cross-examine me, I’ve escaped to my room with my cell phone.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
I'm told he "cross-examines" them and their officials - and if their answers aren't up to snuff, they get called in for another meeting.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2025
Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School, noted that Mr. Avenatti, because of his combative personality, could face real hurdles when he cross-examines Ms. Daniels.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2022
When I think about Harris, I remember her performance at Senate hearings: the way she challenges people, cross-examines them, and handles herself in a room.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2020
“It’s like being in, what I imagine, one of those law classes where he cross-examines you.”
From Washington Post ● Jun. 27, 2020
So as soon as the butler's through loadin' Purdy-Pell into the limousine I cross-examines Jarvis about young Mr. Hollister's motions.
From Shorty McCabe on the Job by Ford, Sewell
She said she was determined not to show "any signs of weakness" while giving evidence and being cross-examined.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Because Florsheim had no lawyer, he cross-examined his neighbor himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
He cross-examined an engineer for the company who said Sleca possessed photos of the grid damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
“They obviously are cross-examined, and they’ll frequently be accused of ... lying for their own self-interest,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
After Helen Joseph had been cross-examined and reexamined, accused number three, Ahmed Kathrada, opened his case.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
With this rule in place, and with prosecutors thirsty to invoke it, the first part of every excessive punishment analysis turns into Tom Cruise cross-examining Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men: Q: “Grave Danger?”
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025
On Thursday, the defense cross-examining Ventura sought to change the narrative using dozens of text messages between Combs and Ventura.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025
“You’re the last adult to have possession of that gun,” assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said while cross-examining Jennifer Crumbley last week.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
He began to embrace the thrill of cross-examining visiting missionaries.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
As the accused took turns cross-examining the witnesses, the Crown and the prosecution began to get a sense for the first time of the true caliber of the men and women on trial.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
