cut across

British  

verb

1. (intr) to be contrary to ordinary procedure or limitations

   opinion on European integration still cuts clean across party lines

2. to cross or traverse, making a shorter route

   she cut across the field quickly

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cut across Idioms  

1. Go beyond, transcend, as in The new regulations cut across class lines. This figurative use of cut across, which literally means “run through” or “intersect,” dates from the 1920s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cut across

Garbo and his colleagues were watching one of several major rifts that appeared likely to eventually cut across the entire ice tongue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Academics have spent decades trying to understand the lingering divide between east and west Germany; "Ossies" and "Wessies", and these are divides that cut across numerous spheres.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

“I don’t think about it in raw numbers. I think about it in the wealth of expertise and knowledge that has been cut across all levels,” a former senior Justice Department official said.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

The Walt Disney Co. has begun a broad round of layoffs, which will result in 1,000 jobs being cut across multiple divisions within the Burbank entertainment giant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026

They set up a play for Ducky where he was supposed to move off a pick at the top of the key and cut across the lane.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• cruise
• navigate
• pass over
• ply
• sail
• span
• traverse