across
Pluralacrosses
- 1From one side of a place or thing to the other side.
Like drawing a line from one edge of a sheet of paper to the other edge.
She swam across the lake before breakfast.
The dog ran across the yard to greet us.
UsageUse across for flat places (across the road) and through for going inside something that is all around you (through the forest).
Similarover
- 2In or through all parts of a place or group.
The news spread across the whole country in hours.
Shops across the city lowered their prices.
UsageSay all across the country to make it stronger.
Similarthroughout
Note
- 3On the other side of something, such as a street or a room.
The bakery is across the street from my house.
Their farm sits across the river from town.
UsageUse from for the other place: across the street from my house.
Similaropposite
Note
- 4From one side to the other side.
He looked both ways, then walked across.
The river was narrow, so we swam across.
Similarover
- 5Used after a number to say how wide something is, from one edge to the other.
The pizza we ordered was sixteen inches across.
The hole in the ice was about two feet across.
Less common meanings
- 6Being on the other side of something.
The river is wide, but the boat will have us across in ten minutes.
When we were all across, we sat down on the bank to rest.
- 7Going over or through something at an angle, crossing it.
She wore her bag strap across her body at an angle.
He laid one stick across the other to make a cross.
Oppositealongside
- 8From side to side of something, not along its length.
Cut the sandwich straight across, not from corner to corner.
His new shirt has blue stripes that run across, not up and down.
Oppositealong
- 9Reading from left to right in a crossword.
Six across was the hardest clue in today's puzzle.
I got two across right away.
UsageSay the number first: two across.
Oppositedown
Note
- 10A crossword answer that reads from left to right, or the clue for that answer.
Like a row of letters going sideways instead of up and down.
I solved the first across before any of the down clues.
She filled in a tricky across near the bottom of the grid.
UsageMore than one is acrosses: all the acrosses.
- 11Knowing all the latest facts about something.
The manager is across every detail of the project.
Make sure you are across the new rules before Monday.
UsageUsually be across something: be across the new rules.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English acros, which came from Anglo-Norman words meaning "on" and "cross". So you can think of it as a- + cross.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Across derives from Middle English acros. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English acros came from Anglo-Norman elements meaning 'on' and 'cross'. en.wiktionary.org
- The word was borrowed from Anglo-Norman; a- + cross is a surface analysis of its English form. en.wiktionary.org