a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, especially at right angles to the longest axis.
a piece so cut off.
a photograph, diagram, or other pictorial representation of such a section.
the act of cutting anything across.
a typical selection; a sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc..
a cross section of American opinion.
Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken at right angles to a survey line.
Also called nuclear cross section. Physics. a quantity expressing the effective area that a given nucleus presents as a target to a bombarding particle, giving a measure of the probability that the particle will induce a reaction.
maths a plane surface formed by cutting across a solid, esp perpendicular to its longest axis
a section cut off in this way
the act of cutting anything in this way
a random selection or sample, esp one regarded as representative
a cross section of the public
surveying a vertical section of a line of ground at right angles to a survey line
physics a measure of the probability that a collision process will result in a particular reaction. It is expressed by the effective area that one participant presents as a target for the other
First recorded in 1825–35
First recorded in 1875–80
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The American middle class encompasses a broad cross section of workers that includes white-collar office employees, nurses and plumbers, although there is no universally accepted definition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
The setting allows for a cross section of humanity, united in distress, and occasional passages of sociopolitical commentary.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2025
“These days we’ve got a truly diverse cross section of South Africa coming to the event, all ages, races, and genders,” says rAge project director, Michael James.
From BBC • Sep. 2, 2024
"In this paper, we do more ruling out, saying that dark matter can't have those masses or cross section," said Chris Karwin, a former postdoc at Clemson and a co-author of the study.
From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024
It was the widest cross section of political groups ever gathered in one place in South Africa.
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.
