cross-examine
Americanverb (used with object)
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cross-examines,
present (3rd person singular)
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cross-examined,
past participle, past
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cross-examining
present participle
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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
The trial continued, and on 24 March Stephen Leslie KC was brought in to cross-examine Mr Perks - a measure made to provide balance to the prosecution case.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 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
Todd Blanche cross-examines Michael Cohen on the stand trying to paint him as a liar.
From BBC ● May 16, 2024
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
The latest secret witness is expected to testify Wednesday, after Durst’s defense team cross-examines Barnes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2017
With judicial impartiality he examines and cross-examines the witnesses, laying all the evidence before the reader.
From Lectures on the true, the beautiful and the good by Victor Cousin
Garcia joined Fields in the back row, watching as Steel cross-examined Kacey Hester, also known as OTF Jam, one of the admitted shooters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
She argued that the claims made by referees are "untested" and in the interests of fairness they should be cross-examined in court like other witnesses.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Victims are often cross-examined during the lengthy legal proceedings, which frequently deepens their sense of guilt, Tsang noted.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Because Florsheim had no lawyer, he cross-examined his neighbor himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
But when Ngubase was cross-examined by Vernon Berrange, it was revealed that he was equal parts madman and liar.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Indeed the idea for his first book came to him while he was cross-examining a witness.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
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
Late Tuesday, while cross-examining FBI Special Agent Erica Jensen, Lowell elicited the investigator’s admission that indeed there were times when Biden was sober.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
He began to embrace the thrill of cross-examining visiting missionaries.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
It’s like he was cross-examining my subconscious, looking for some clue he might have missed the ninety-ninth time around.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
