cross talk

or cross-talk, crosstalk

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noun

interference heard on a telephone or radio because of unintentional coupling to another communication channel.

incidental conversation; chatter, as opposed to formal discussion: The meeting was slowed by cross talk between board members.

British. witty, fast-paced dialogue, especially in a play, comic act, etc.; repartee.

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Origin of cross talk

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby cross talk

cross-stratification, cross street, cross-string, cross stroke, cross swords, cross talk, cross the Rubicon, crosstie, cross to bear, cross-tolerance, crosstown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cross talk in a sentence

What celebrity has started to talk about his or her eating disorder?
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Hopefully not overly close, but we talk about it in the episode how similar it is.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Earlier this week, Huckabee ended his Fox News talk show so he could spend time mulling another bid for the Republican nomination.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Those who come to the Dinner Party are self-selecting; they do want to talk about it.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is marked by nine stations of the cross.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In cross-section the burrows varied from round (three inches in diameter) to oval (three inches high and four inches wide).
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
And is this a mere fantastic talk, or is this a thing that could be done and that ought to be done?
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Our talk ranged from the Panhandle to the Canada line, while our horses jogged steadily southward.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Above all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary standing army in the midst of peace and among a free people.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
To talk German was beyond the sweep of my dizziest ambition, but an Italian runner or porter instantly presented himself.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for cross talk

crosstalk

/ (ˈkrɒsˌtɔːk) /

noun

unwanted signals in one channel of a communications system as a result of a transfer of energy from one or more other channels

British rapid or witty talk or conversation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012