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:
They said the ruling was delivered by a "faceless court" and that defence lawyers had been unable to cross-examine eyewitnesses properly, who testified via video link.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
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
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
A climactic scene between these two actors in which Jackson cross-examines Göring is a riveting piece of courtroom drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
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
She is a wonder, if anybody cross-examines you.
From The Spenders A Tale of the Third Generation by Harry Leon Wilson
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
The witness was then cross-examined by Sir Jeffrey's barrister Kieran Vaughan KC.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 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
His evidence-in-chief lasted several days and he was cross-examined for nearly three weeks.
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
Paul Gallagher SC was cross-examining Mr Adams on Wednesday and referred to multiple books and newspaper stories about Mr Adams.
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
While cross-examining a witness for the Justice Department, John Schmidtlein, Google’s lead trial lawyer, tried to describe how this suit differed from the landmark antitrust case brought against Microsoft in the 1990s.
From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
In cross-examining Woodyard, Senior Assistant Attorney General Jason Slothouber pointed out that the first thing he did after returning back on the scene was call Rosenblatt away to talk away from anyone’s body camera.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
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.
