crossing

noun

cross·​ing ˈkrȯ-siŋ 

1

: the act or action of crossing: such as

a

: a traversing or traveling across

b

: an opposing, blocking, or thwarting especially in an unfair or dishonest manner

2

a

: a place or structure (as on a street or over a river) where pedestrians or vehicles cross

especially : crosswalk

b

: the place in a cruciform church where the transept crosses the nave

c

: a place where a railroad track crosses a street

Synonyms

• voyage
• cruise

Examples of crossing in a Sentence

Stop at the railroad crossing.

a crossing for ferry boats

the crossing of a mountain range

a weeklong crossing of the Atlantic Ocean

Recent Examples on the Web

In a news conference at the Terespol-Brest border crossing, Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwinski announced that traffic had been closed as of midnight Thursday on the Polish-Belarusian border until further notice. —Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

The state didn’t succeed the first time to entirely remove Delray Beach’s rainbow crossing, so workers returned the next day to finish the job. —Abigail Hasebroock, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025

This is quite the speedy return to practice for Worthy, who collided with Kelce on a crossing route only three plays into the team’s Week 1 loss to the Chargers. —Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025

But what might motivate the impending path-crossing between Dani and Ridge is less clear, especially in light of Dani and Devon having their own flirty run-in at the tail end of James' time on Beyond the Gates. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing crossing

• crossing guard
• crossing-over
• grade crossing
• level crossing
• pedestrian crossing
• pelican crossing
• railroad crossing
• zebra crossing

Rhymes for crossing

• bossing
• glossing
• tossing
• crisscrossing
• embossing
• outcrossing
• recrossing

Kids Definition

crossing

noun

cross·​ing ˈkrȯ-siŋ 

1

a

: the act of one that crosses

b

: a voyage across water

c

: the act or process of interbreeding or hybridizing

2

: a place where a street or stream is crossed

3

: a place where two things (as a street and a railroad track) cross