cross-examine
Americanverb (used with object)
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cross-examines,
present (3rd person singular)
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cross-examined,
past participle, past
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cross-examining
present participle
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to examine by questions intended to check a previous examination; examine closely or minutely.
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Law. to examine (a witness called by the opposing side), as for the purpose of discrediting the witness's testimony.
verb
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law to examine (a witness for the opposing side), as in attempting to discredit his testimony Compare examine-in-chief
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to examine closely or relentlessly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cross-examinesimple
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cross-examinessimple
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have cross-examinedperfect
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has cross-examinedperfect
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am cross-examiningprogressive
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are cross-examiningprogressive
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is cross-examiningprogressive
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have been cross-examiningperfect progressive
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has been cross-examiningperfect progressive
Past
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cross-examinedsimple
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had cross-examinedperfect
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was cross-examiningprogressive
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were cross-examiningprogressive
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had been cross-examiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cross-examine
First recorded in 1655–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
An authority that comes from nowhere visible, accountable to nothing you can touch or verify or cross-examine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Skaggs’ lawyers, however, pointed out that the defense has taken longer to cross-examine witnesses than it took them to conduct the direct examinations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
"There are already huge restrictions on the extent to which defence lawyers can cross-examine people in these cases," he told BBC Scotland News.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
Trump’s legal team was also allowed to dispute evidence, cross-examine witnesses called by opposing counsel, and raise questions of law and fact throughout the trial—all of which they did aggressively and comprehensively.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2024
Mom walks him out, and before she can return to cross-examine me, I’ve escaped to my room with my cell phone.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Todd Blanche cross-examines Michael Cohen on the stand trying to paint him as a liar.
From BBC ● May 16, 2024
Giuliani said at the lectern, doing a terrible Joe Pesci, from the scene where he cross-examines an elderly eyewitness with bad eyesight.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 19, 2020
When I think about Harris, I remember her performance at Senate hearings: the way she challenges people, cross-examines them, and handles herself in a room.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2020
The latest secret witness is expected to testify Wednesday, after Durst’s defense team cross-examines Barnes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2017
She is a wonder, if anybody cross-examines you.
From The Spenders A Tale of the Third Generation by Harry Leon Wilson
Garcia joined Fields in the back row, watching as Steel cross-examined Kacey Hester, also known as OTF Jam, one of the admitted shooters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Victims are often cross-examined during the lengthy legal proceedings, which frequently deepens their sense of guilt, Tsang noted.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
The woman, known as Complainant B, was being cross-examined by Sir Jeffrey's lawyer when she said she blamed herself for the subsequent alleged abuse of the other complainant in the case.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
He cross-examined an engineer for the company who said Sleca possessed photos of the grid damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
After being examined by Farid, Helen would then be cross-examined by the twenty-seven other co-accused.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
With this rule in place, and with prosecutors thirsty to invoke it, the first part of every excessive punishment analysis turns into Tom Cruise cross-examining Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men: Q: “Grave Danger?”
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025
While cross-examining a witness for the Justice Department, John Schmidtlein, Google’s lead trial lawyer, tried to describe how this suit differed from the landmark antitrust case brought against Microsoft in the 1990s.
From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
Jamie Foxx has a ball playing a flamboyant personal injury lawyer who sounds more like he’s preaching from the pulpit than cross-examining a witness in Maggie Betts’ “The Burial.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2023
The insult came as Moghaddas was cross-examining Stacey Wood, a forensic neuropsychologist who has opined that Girardi is not competent to stand trial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2023
As the accused took turns cross-examining the witnesses, the Crown and the prosecution began to get a sense for the first time of the true caliber of the men and women on trial.
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.
