across

[uh-kraws, uh-kros]

preposition

1. from one side to the other of.

   a bridge across a river.

2. on or to the other side of; beyond.

   across the sea.

3. into contact with; into the presence of, usually by accident.

   to come across an old friend; to run across a first edition of Byron.

4. crosswise of or transversely to the length of something; athwart.

   coats across the bed; straddled across the boundary line.

adverb

1. from one side to another.

2. on the other side.

   We'll soon be across.

3. crosswise; transversely.

   with arms across.

4. so as to be understood or learned.

   He couldn't get the idea across to the class.

5. into a desired or successful state.

   to put a business deal across.

adjective

1. being in a crossed or transverse position; crosswise.

   an across pattern of supporting beams.

across

/ əˈkrɒs /

preposition

1. from one side to the other side of

2. on or at the other side of

3. so as to transcend boundaries or barriers

   people united across borders by religion and history

   the study of linguistics across cultures

4. fully informed about; dealing with

   we are across this problem

adverb

1. from one side to the other

2. on or to the other side

Word History and Origins

Origin of across¹

First recorded in 1470–80; a- ¹ + cross

Word History and Origins

Origin of across¹

C13: on croice, acros, from Old French a croix crosswise

Idioms and Phrases

• come across
• cut across
• get across
• put across
• run across

Example Sentences

But across the United States there are safeguards to prevent or catch it.

From Los Angeles Times

It's a conflict that could have a significant impact not just on health policy in the US but across the world.

From BBC

And across the political spectrum, Americans want the Epstein files released, unredacted and in full.

From Los Angeles Times

But less than two months later, it announced that Lean Screen would be recalled after it returned inconsistent results across eight different sets of lab testing.

From BBC

As the news blared out across the cafes and bars of the National Exhibition Centre, party members rushed to take their seats.

From BBC

Related Words

• crossways 
• crosswise 
• transversely www.thesaurus.com