crossbones

[ kraws-bohnz, kros- ]

/ ˈkrɔsˌboʊnz, ˈkrɒs- /

plural noun

a representation of two bones placed crosswise, usually below a skull, to symbolize death.

Origin of crossbones

First recorded in 1790–1800; cross- + bone + -s³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crossbones

Visitors arrive to the park at the Ugab River and are welcomed by gates bearing two skull and crossbones.
Namibia’s Spooky Skeleton Coast|Nina Strochlic|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Also on tap for midseason: Crossbones and comedies About a Boy and The Family Guide.
NBC Unveils Its 2013-14 Schedule: ‘Parenthood’ to Thursday, ‘Revolution’ to Wednesday, and More|Jace Lacob|May 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Crossbones by Nuruddin Farah A gripping fictional look into the horrors and chaos of Somalia.
This Week’s Hot Reads||September 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He was willing to sleep in a vault amongst skulls and crossbones, with a reliable up-to-time ghost thrown in, for a pound a week.
Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City|S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

The third drawing is a landscape, having in the foreground a head-stone, with a skull and crossbones in the semi-circular head.
The Bront Family, Vol. 2 of 2|Francis A. Leyland
The crossbones as hung on the masthead o' the Spittin' Devil.
Wappin' Wharf|Charles S. Brooks
The crossbones, dread emblem of death, decorate her skirt, and a writhing snake crowns her head.
An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs|Sylvanus Griswold Morley
At the bottom of the list he sketched a tombstone bearing a skull and crossbones, and by way of epitaph: Here lies a drunken dog.
Famous Houses and Literary Shrines of London|A. St. John Adcock

British Dictionary definitions for crossbones

crossbones

/ (ˈkrɒsˌbəʊnz) /

pl n

See skull and crossbones

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

crossbones

plural noun

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Nearby words

Origin of crossbones

Examples from the Web for crossbones

crossbones

pl n