cyclo-cross

American

[sahy-kloh-kraws, -kros] / ˈsaɪ kloʊˌkrɔs, -ˌkrɒs /

noun

a bicycle race over a cross-country course, featuring steep hills, turns, and sometimes muddy terrain, that occasionally requires a rider to carry the bicycle over fences and up stairs.

cyclo-cross British

noun

1. a form of cycle race held over rough ground
2. this sport

"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

Etymology

Origin of cyclo-cross

1950–55; cycle + -o- + cross(-country) ( def. ); cf. motocross

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.

Despite his success on the road, cyclo-cross is his favourite discipline.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Van der Poel bettered the record of seven world titles originally set by Belgian Eric De Vlaeminck, a cyclo-cross star of the 1960s and 70s.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

He has already won a second cyclo-cross World Cup this season after winning all eight -- out of 12 -- of the races he entered.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Pidcock, the Olympic mountain bike champion and 2022 world cyclo-cross champion, was competing in his first race of the year for Ineos.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2023

"I was 19 years old, and I turned up at a venue with a great cyclo-cross history at Wolverhampton to race," Rowntree says.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023