cross reference
noun
a reference from one part of a book, index, or the like, to related material, as a word or illustration, in another part.
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cross reference
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cross-reference
cross-referenceverb (used with or without object)to provide with cross references.
cross reference
1 Americannoun
cross-reference
2
American
[kraws-ref-er-uhns, -ref-ruhns, kros-]
/ ˈkrɔsˈrɛf ər əns, -ˈrɛf rəns, ˈkrɒs- /
verb (used with or without object)
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cross-references,
present (3rd person singular)
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cross-referenced,
past participle, past
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cross-referencing
present participle
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to provide with cross references.
The new encyclopedia is completely cross-referenced.
cross-reference
British
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cross-referencesimple
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cross-referencessimple
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have cross-referencedperfect
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has cross-referencedperfect
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am cross-referencingprogressive
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are cross-referencingprogressive
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is cross-referencingprogressive
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have been cross-referencingperfect progressive
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has been cross-referencingperfect progressive
Past
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cross-referencedsimple
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had cross-referencedperfect
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was cross-referencingprogressive
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were cross-referencingprogressive
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had been cross-referencingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cross reference1
First recorded in 1825–35
Origin of cross-reference2
First recorded in 1900–05
Explanation
When a book mentions something from a different part of the same book, that's a cross-reference. In a textbook, a cross-reference might look like this: "See page 123." Cross-reference, "a reference in a book to another part of it," was coined in the 19th century. It's a way to add more information without going into wordy detail, similar to using a footnote or endnote in academic writing. If you look up "Amelia Earhart" in an index at the back of a book, you might see cross-references such as "See also: Earhart, Amelia" and "See also: aviators."
Vocabulary lists containing cross-reference
Choosing and Evaluating Sources
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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:
The Mayo Clinic provides some symptoms of BPD, which you can cross reference with your experience of your mother-in-law.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
We can then cross reference this with satellite and Google Street View imagery.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2023
That’s an even better way to make sure companies can’t cross reference who you are.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2021
These people have different agendas and different biases, and you cross reference those lies.
From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2020
These Cross References are given both on the plate and the subject card as well as on the cross reference card.
From A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library by Melvil Dewey
If you want to dig deeper, cross-reference location details using Google Street View.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The cases don’t cross-reference one another, as often happens when the court decides two similar cases in the same term.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
You should also cross-reference the posted information with what local and state government officials, first responders, disaster relief agencies, known nonprofit organizations and trusted media outlets are saying on their official websites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025
But Malloy’s attempt to cross-reference the stand-alone 30-minute stories with psychological and literal echoes palls.
From New York Times ● May 20, 2024
I read the New Testament, once quickly, then a second time more slowly, pausing to make notes, to cross-reference, and even to write short essays on doctrines like faith and sacrifice.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Happily, the show is not up to its cowl in DC cross-references and crossovers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
She cross-references the many striking photos taken during the late September publicity shoot commissioned by the project’s director of public relations, Merle Crowell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Since then, AFP has automated area calculations of the geographic files supplied by ISW and cross-references them with the size of Ukrainian regions.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
The 23-year-old's research cross-references data from adverts, like phone numbers or addresses, to link the same sellers to multiple accounts.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2021
I checked the Talmudic cross-references for parallel texts and memorized whatever differences I found.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
The researchers combined multiple collection techniques, ecological observations, DNA barcoding, and statistics with ACG estimates which were then cross-referenced to multiple different groups, including trees, amphibians and moths.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
For the report, the UN agency cross-referenced data showing where the roughly 2.4 billion children on the planet live with the geographic distribution of the eight most common climate impacts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
You never cross-referenced her number on the school’s parent list with the one on the text.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
Californians are required to verify their identities when they register to vote, and that information is cross-referenced with Department of Motor Vehicle files.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025
It appeared as a jumble of cascading windows floating in front of me, displaying text, maps, photos, and audio and video files, all indexed, cross-referenced, and pulsing with life.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Health obsessives often monitor workouts, step counts, sleep metrics, heart rates and nutrition data, cross-referencing the information with their calendars, meeting transcriptions, emails and clinical records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
I studied the pages like scripture — cross-referencing crust ratios, comparing jam methods, building a menu as though I were prepping for an exam.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2025
These powerful applications provide a virtual fire hose of real-time information, including location and address history, cross-referencing usernames, and fingerprinting a user based on writing style.
From Slate ● Feb. 5, 2025
By cross-referencing its maps and the fire footprints with maps of local hiking trails, I determined which routes were in the burn area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2025
Winston debated with himself whether to award Comrade Ogilvy the Order of Conspicuous Merit; and in the end he decided against it because of the unnecessary cross-referencing that it would entail.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
