a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, especially at right angles to the longest axis.
a piece so cut off.
a photograph, diagram, or other pictorial representation of such a section.
the act of cutting anything across.
a typical selection; a sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc..
a cross section of American opinion.
Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken at right angles to a survey line.
Also called nuclear cross section. Physics. a quantity expressing the effective area that a given nucleus presents as a target to a bombarding particle, giving a measure of the probability that the particle will induce a reaction.
maths a plane surface formed by cutting across a solid, esp perpendicular to its longest axis
a section cut off in this way
the act of cutting anything in this way
a random selection or sample, esp one regarded as representative
a cross section of the public
surveying a vertical section of a line of ground at right angles to a survey line
physics a measure of the probability that a collision process will result in a particular reaction. It is expressed by the effective area that one participant presents as a target for the other
First recorded in 1825–35
First recorded in 1875–80
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It was just extraordinary to get that cross section of people who care together,” says Earle, who applauded Eilish’s “passion for nature and the ocean.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
Louisiana that the Sixth Amendment demands a jury drawn from a representative cross section of the community.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2025
“Hopefully our country can get back to that. The Owens Valley, and Inyo County in particular, is a perfect cross section of America.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2024
“These days we’ve got a truly diverse cross section of South Africa coming to the event, all ages, races, and genders,” says rAge project director, Michael James.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2024
Now a three-dimensional creature can exist, in Flatland, only partially; only a cross section can be seen, only the points of contact with the plane surface of Flatland.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
A compelling model comes from the burgeoning global movement of citizens’ assemblies — deliberative bodies in which a randomly selected, representative cross-section of the public is convened to consider complex policy questions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
A larger atmosphere presents a bigger cross-section to incoming starlight, allowing it to absorb more radiation.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
To find that ground, I recently sat down with Timothy Stratford, whose career serves as a cross-section of the U.S.-China story itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Cabbages, namely their undulating cross-section patterns, have appeared as designs in outerwear and accessories.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2026
In cross-section it consisted of two concentric walls: the wet, slightly rough outer wall, so vibrantly green, and an inner wall midway between the outer wall and the core of the algae.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
