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cross-purpose
[ kraws-pur-puhs, kros- ]
/ ˈkrɔsˈpɜr pəs, ˈkrɒs- /
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noun
an opposing or contrary purpose.
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Idioms about cross-purpose
at cross-purposes, in a way that involves or produces mutual misunderstanding or frustration, usually unintentionally.
Origin of cross-purpose
First recorded in 1660–70
Words nearby cross-purpose
cross-post, cross-posting, cross press, cross product, cross protection, cross-purpose, cross-question, crossrail, cross ratio, cross-react, cross-reaction
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cross-purpose in a sentence
It seems someway unlike God to make each person a something all of cross-purpose.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLaneI am not prone on my green couch, frayed, frazzled, bowed-down in spirit from a day of frightful stress and cross-purpose.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLaneI do not excuse Sunna, but I say that wherever there is a cross purpose, there has likely never been a straight one.
An Orkney Maid|Amelia Edith Huddleston BarrIf we find every fact of life at cross-purpose with Scripture, what then?
The Call of the Town|John Alexander Hammerton
British Dictionary definitions for cross-purpose
cross-purpose
noun
a contrary aim or purpose
at cross-purposes conflicting; opposed; disagreeing
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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