cross-check

American  

[kraws-chek, kros-, kraws-chek, -chek, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˈtʃɛk, ˈkrɒs-, ˈkrɔsˌtʃɛk, -ˈtʃɛk, ˈkrɒs- /

verb (used with object)

cross-checks, present (3rd person singular) cross-checked, past participle, past cross-checking present participle

1. to determine the accuracy of (something) by checking it with various sources.

2. Ice Hockey. to execute a cross-check on (an opponent).

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noun

1. the act of cross-checking.

2. a means of cross-checking.

   I examined contemporary newspaper reports as a cross-check on his account.

3. Ice Hockey. an obstructing or impeding of the movement or progress of an opponent by placing the stick, with both hands, across the opponent's body or face.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cross-checker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• cross-checking
  present
• cross-checked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cross-check
  simple
• cross-checks
  simple
• have cross-checked
  perfect
• has cross-checked
  perfect
• am cross-checking
  progressive
• are cross-checking
  progressive
• is cross-checking
  progressive
• have been cross-checking
  perfect progressive
• has been cross-checking
  perfect progressive

Past

• cross-checked
  simple
• had cross-checked
  perfect
• was cross-checking
  progressive
• were cross-checking
  progressive
• had been cross-checking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cross-check
  simple
• will have cross-checked
  perfect
• will be cross-checking
  progressive
• will have been cross-checking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cross-check

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cross-check cross-checks cross-checked cross-checking

Platforms like GoodRx provide a vital cross-check, listing similar coupons alongside separate pharmacy discounts that can sometimes beat federal rates.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

It enhances my judgment, enabling me to cross-check analysis and accelerate tasks that once took days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

"Never rely solely on social media promotions or unsolicited social media advertisements, always cross-check and verify job opportunities through official channels," he said on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025

The effort seemed cobbled together by someone who typed “sanctuary” and a city’s name into Google and swallowed whatever the AI spat up without even bothering to cross-check with Wikipedia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025

We used to time our emissaries to their return and cross-check them where their wanderings intersected those of others—all were supposed to be trackers and one or two knew something about it.

From Pan-Islam by Bury, G. Wyman (George Wyman)

AI-powered software then combines and cross-checks data to provide an accurate location.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

Further investigations and cross-checks led to the arrest of a fourth, suspected of having parked the truck under the museum gallery, said Beccuau.

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

It takes detailed information and cross-checks this with sources it can access, such as hospital lists and names of returned detainees.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025

She says the interviews and cross-checks of birth certificates with other life documents are effective at catching potential inconsistencies.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 20, 2024

On symbolic model, this problem does not occur, due to multiple cross-checks between elements and relations.

From The Brain, A Decoded Enigma by Moisa, Dorin Teodor

We built relationships over years, not months, and cross-checked every claim across multiple actors and institutions.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2025

The BBC cross-checked local newspaper reports and spoke to district reporters to trace where bodies were received, mapped these locations, and then visited the victims' families.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025

Those affected will be cross-checked against security services’ databases, to see whether they have previously been flagged as suspected Islamist extremists or for other radicalism, Nunez said.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

Traditional lidar measurements of atmospheric clouds are sometimes cross-checked and calibrated by flying an aircraft through clouds to capture droplet samples.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2024

“They say they’re sure. They’ve checked and cross-checked birth records. She was born on the same day, in the same hospital.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

The review process requires careful research and cross-checking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

For investigators, what once required weeks of cross-checking siloed systems can now be done in hours or less.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2025

It took me a couple days’ work, and most of that was cross-checking references and waiting for people to call me back, frankly.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2025

Winger Evander Kane, who was making his season debut for the Oilers, was on the ice just 95 seconds before drawing a cross-checking penalty, giving the Kings the man advantage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025

It had taken Man centuries of careful comparison and cross-checking to read the evolutionary history written in the depths of his own planet's crust—to try to date the city was impossible.

From Dead Giveaway by Garrett, Randall